Yellow peas cooked in a dark, spiced gravy — ghugni — is the street food that fuels the Bengali afternoon. It is sold from blackened pots on street corners, ladled into paper plates, topped with raw onion, green chilli, a squeeze of tamarind, and sometimes a crumbled biscuit.
It is the food of football grounds and bus stations and the last hour of the school day. In Bangladesh it is sold from baskets by hawkers who carry their stove with them.
Zone: River Delta
SOURCE: Adapted from a recipe documented from a street food vendor at Howrah Station, Kolkata, 2019.
LOCAL NAME: ঘুগনি
INGREDIENTS
- 250 g dried yellow peas (motor dal, soaked overnight)
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 1 tsp panch phoron
- 2 dried red chillies
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp ginger (finely grated)
- 2 medium tomatoes (finely chopped)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 500 ml water
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped, to serve)
- 2 green chillies (finely chopped, to serve)
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (chopped, to serve)
METHOD
- Drain the soaked yellow peas. Boil in fresh water for 20 minutes until just tender but holding their shape. Drain and set aside.
- Heat mustard oil in a wide pan until it just begins to smoke. Reduce to medium. Add the panch phoron and dried red chillies and allow to splutter for 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped onion and fry for 8 minutes until golden. Add the ginger and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt, and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes break down and the oil begins to separate.
- Add the cooked yellow peas and water. Stir well. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until the sauce thickens and the peas are fully tender.
- Add the tamarind paste. Stir through and cook for 2 more minutes. Taste and adjust salt and tamarind.
- Serve in small bowls topped with raw chopped onion, green chilli, and fresh coriander.
- NOTES
NOTES
UK adaptation: Dried yellow peas from South Asian grocers or larger supermarkets. Tinned chickpeas or marrowfat peas as substitute — drain, rinse, and add at step 5, reducing the final simmer to 5 minutes. Tamarind paste from South Asian grocers or larger supermarkets. Panch phoron from South Asian grocers or blend your own.
US adaptation: Dried yellow peas from Patel Brothers or Indian grocery stores. Tinned chickpeas as substitute. Tamarind paste from any South Asian or Latin American grocer. Panch phoron from Patel Brothers or online.
Cook’s note: Ghugni should be saucy but not soupy — the peas should be coated and glossy, not swimming. If it reduces too far, add a splash of water. If it is too loose, cook uncovered for a few more minutes.