Calcutta Style Ghugni Recipe-Tangy Yellow Peas Curry

Ingredients

1 cup Dried Yellow/White Peas (Vatana) – soaked for 4 hourse,1 inch Ginger – grated,1/2 teaspoon Kalonji (Onion Nigella Seeds),1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi),1 Lemon – to be used when serving,2 Green Chillies – finely chopped,3 inch Ginger – thinly sliced,3 sprig Coriander (Dhania) Leaves – finely chopped,Salt – to taste,1/4 cup Cumin seeds (Jeera),1/4 cup Coriander (Dhania) Seeds,1/8 cup Rock Salt,1/8 cup White pepper powder,1/8 cup Amchur (Dry Mango Powder),1/8 cup Red Chilli powder,10 Bay leaves (tej patta)

Instructions

1. To begin making the Calcutta Style Ghugni Recipe, firstly we will make the Muri Masala.To make the muri masala, roast the cumin and coriander seeds until browned well. Roast on low heat, so it does not burn and turn black. Remove from heat and keep it aside.Next roast the bay leaves until crisp. When you crumble with hands it will crush immediately. Combine all the roasted ingredients with the rest of the remaining ingredients and blend into a fine powder.Store the Muri/Moodi Masala in the freezer to retain freshness for about 4 to 6 months. We will not be using all the masala for this dish.To next step is to make the Ghugni Recipe. We will first cook the soaked yellow peas until soft and mushy. See video recipe of how to cook peas in a pressure cooker. Soak for 4 hours or overnight & cook in the pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt for about 3 whistles. After 3 whistles turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes and turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally.Peas comes under the legume category when dried and hence requires the similar amount of soaking and cooking time as other legumes. Once the yellow peas are cooked, making the Ghugni is very simple.Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan; add in the grated ginger, turmeric powder, the cooked peas and just 1 or 2 teaspoons of the above moodi masala. Adjust the salt as required. Give the Ghugni a quick boil, then stir in the chopped coriander leaves and turn off the heat.Serve the Calcutta Ghugni along with thinly sliced ginger and more green chillies on the top as a tea time snack or even along with Gujarati Methi Thepla for dinner.

Recipe Details