| Ghugni | |
| Country: | Indian subcontinent |
| Region: | Indian subcontinent |
| National Cuisine: | India, Bangladesh |
| Course: | Snack |
| Main Ingredient: | Black gram, dried yellow peas or dried white peas, Indian spices, Turmeric powder |
Ghugni or guguni is a dish 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. [2]
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.
It is then served with puffed rice (kurmura) and at times with hot onion pakoda or bhajiya.
Ghugni is often served with dhuska, a fermented rice-lentil dish. In Calcutta, ghugni is often eaten with puris.[3] 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.
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.[4] In Bengal, ghugni is made from dry white peas.[5]
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".
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.[6]