Ghugni

Ghugni
	Ghugni
Course	Snack
Place of origin	Indian subcontinent
Region or state	Indian subcontinent
Associated cuisine	India, Bangladesh
Main ingredients	Black gram, dried yellow peas or dried white peas, Indian spices, Turmeric powder
	Media: Ghugni;

Ghugni (Bengali: ঘুগ্নি, Odia: ଘୁଗ୍ନି) or ghuguni (Assamese: ঘুগুনি, Odia: ଘୁଗୁନି) or guguni (Odia: ଗୁଗୁନି)is a curry made of peas or chickpeas.^[1] Different variations of the dish use different types of peas or chickpeas, such as black gram, green peas, or white peas. It is a snack native to the Indian subcontinent, especially popular in Eastern India (Indian States of Bihar,^[2] Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal), Northeast India (Indian states of Assam and Tripura) and in Bangladesh.^[3]

Preparation

The peas are soaked overnight and then boiled in water. The peas are added to a gravy that includes coconut, ginger paste, garlic paste, cumin, tamarind paste, and cilantro.^[3]

It is then served with puffed rice (kurmura) and at times with hot onion pakoda or bhajiya.^[4]

Ghugni is often served with dhuska, a fermented rice-lentil dish.^[1] In Calcutta, ghugni is often eaten with puris.^[5] In Odisha, ghugni can be prepared without onion and garlic as well. The preparation method is almost the same as in Bengal but uses less oil and spices. Ghugni is often served with Puri, Mudhi(muri,murmura,puffed rice)or any regular Odia snacks i.e Bara,Singada etc.

Variation

In Bihar, green chickpeas or freshly harvested green peas are used for the dish. They are lightly pan-fried in mustard oil with some cumin seeds and green chillies and are not curried like eastern Indian versions.^[6] In Bengal, ghugni is made from dry white peas.^[7]

Some versions include meat, such as goat or even lamb or chicken. The meat is usually minced or in bite-sized pieces, mostly for flavoring. "Mangsher ghugni" or meat keema ghugni has been described as a "Kolkata trademark".^[8]^[9]

Assorted combinations

Ghugni and dhuska

In the states of Bihar and Jharkhand and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, ghugni is often paired with dhuska, which is made by deep-frying batter of fermented rice and dal. Ghugni is most commonly made using kala chana (black chickpeas). The combo of ghugni and dhuska is popular in Bhojpuri, Magadhi and Maithil cuisines.^[10]

References

^ a b Singh, Usha. "Ethnic Fermented Foods of Bihar and Jharkhand". Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of India: Science History and Culture: 113 – via Springer Nature.
^ "Bihari-Style Kale Chane Ghugni Recipe by Hiranyamayi Shivani". NDTV Food. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
^ a b Kapoor, Sanjeev (2011). How to Cook Indian: More Than 500 Classic Recipes for the Modern Kitchen. ABRAMS. ISBN 9781613121351.
^ Majumdar, B. (2013). Cooking On The Run. HarperCollins India. ISBN 978-93-5029-945-6.
^ Dasgupta, Minakshie; Gupta, Bunny; Chaliha, Jaya (1995). The Calcutta Cookbook: A Treasury of Over 200 Recipes from Pavement to Palace. Penguin Books. p. 371. ISBN 9780140469721.
^ Kumar, Prasanjeet; Kumar, Sonali (2016). The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Vegetables the Indian Way. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781537268132.
^ Roy, Dayeeta (2014). The Gift of Life: Family, Friends, Food & Fun. Partridge Publishing India. ISBN 9781482842913.
^ "Ghugni: The Iconic Street Side Snack Bengal Can't Do Without". NDTV Food. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
^ Bhattacharya, Rinku. "Try ghugni instead of chili". Poughkeepsie Journal. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
^ "Bihari Chana Ghugni with Dhuska". Zee Zest. Retrieved 26 March 2023.