Ghugni/Bengali Curried Yellow Peas Snack...and wishes for a Happy New Year!!

Ghugni…the famous Bengali snack…this is my version…minus the potatoes…if you have been following the blog, you know how I feel about them...if you are new here, stick around and maybe you will get lucky enough to hear it one of these days…do refer to the notes section below if you would like to add potatoes and a few other things including mutton…if this version is to die for, the mutton version is to kill for…and yes,  today is the Bengali New year so a “Shubho Noboborsho” to you all!! J

Ghugni (Bengali Curried Yellow Peas Snack)

Ingredients:

• Dry Matar/Vatana/Dried Whole Yellow Peas, 1cup
• Ginger, paste/finely grated, 1 tsp
• Turmeric, ¾ tsp
• Salt, to taste

For tempering:

• Bayleaf, 2
• Cinnamon, 1 small stick
• Green Cardamom, 2
• Coves, 3
• Onion, finely chopped, 1 large
• Green chilies, finely chopped, 3-4
• Ginger, paste/finely grated, 1 tsp
• Cumin powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander powder, 1 tsp
• Red chili powder, ½ to 1 tsp
• Oil, 2-3 tbsp

The 'Bhaja Moshla'/ the special roasted and ground masala:

• Cumin seeds, 1 tbsp
• Coriander seeds, 1 tbsp
• Dried red chilies, 2-3

For serving:

• Chopped Green chilies
• Chopped Coriander leaves
• Chopped Onions
• Lime wedges
• Tamarind Chutney

Instructions:

'Bhaja Moshla’: Dry roast all the spices separately. Cool and grind coarsely and preserve in an air tight container

Wash and soak peas overnight.

Boil/Pressure cook to soften with ginger, salt and turmeric. Cook till peas are tender but not over-cooked or smashed. Use just enough water to submerge the peas – you want barely about a ¼ cup of water left, once the peas are cooked.

Heat the oil in a large pan/skillet. Add bayleaf, green cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves. When they start spluttering, add in the chopped onion and green chilies. Fry for few minutes, till the onions get caramelized

Mix cumin powder, coriander powder and red chili powder. Add about a table spoon of water to the spice mix to make a thick paste.

Add ginger and spice paste to the onion mix. Cook on low flame till the raw smell of the ginger goes away and spices are cooked.

Add in the cooked peas with the water they were boiled in. Give a quick boil so that everything gets mixed together, most of the water evaporates and you are done.

Garnish with coriander leaves, chopped green chilies and Bhaja Mashala on top.

Serve with chopped onions, lemon wedges and tamarind chutney.

Notes:

• This one looks a little drier than then the other pictures you will see on the net. That is how hubz likes it; you can make it a little runnier if you want. He also cannot stand tamarind chutney with it, and like a good obedient wife that I am – I agree on both counts!! J

The other additions, if you want:

• Potatoes: 2 small sized potatoes cut into small cubes. You can add them to the boiling peas or fry them till they golden crisp and then add them to the tempering mix along with the peas.

• Coconut: 2-3 tbsp of fresh coconut cut into small pieces. You can add it along with boiling the peas or in the tempering mix and fry a little before adding the peas and/or use it in garnishing while serving.

• Sugar: ½ tsp. Add in with the onions.

• Tomatoes: 1 large finely chopped. Add in with the ginger and let the tomato go all soft and mushy before adding in the peas.

• Mutton: ½ to ¾ cup mutton pieces on the bone. Boil/pressure the mutton pieces till soft with minimal water. Shred the meat, save the stock. Tomatoes get added in once the onions caramelize. The shredded meat gets added in once the tomatoes go all mushy. Add in the stock along with peas.

• And this is what Dried Whole Yellow peas look like...
  
   (picture taken from the net)