Rastar Moto Ghugni / Street style Ghugni

Today I am making chicken biriyani with mutton rezala in dinner. A few of my husband’s friends are coming over, and this is what I have decided to make. Recipe will be coming soon. But before that today I am going to share the chatpata ghugni that we get on the streets. Lovely, tangy, spicy and crunchy with the chopped onions and grated coconut. How cool is that??

Be it the “ghugniwala” with a small street cart, where a burning stove with a big hot tawa is always brimming with some yellow goodies on top of it or the small Bengali cafes, who are still famous for their cutlets and ghugnis, one thing is common between them....the never ending crowd before them. For the small carts, it’s the children who stalk them most, and the elderly ones are mostly gathered in the cafes, where they can have a nice and small adda session with some puff of smoke and a hot cuppa chai.

Temper the oil with cumin seeds, bay leaves and dry red chillies

When they start to sizzle add the chopped onions

When the onions are translucent add the chopped ginger and garlic

Add tomatoes, bhaja mosla, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder.

I like both. The ghugni that the cart vendors serve are tangier whereas the cafes have a more subtle version.  You can do that by going high and low with the bhaja mosla and the tamarind pulp. More quantity means it will spicy and super tangy, while lesser will give you a milder ghugni. But whatever you do, there is no escape from the streety attire of this dish.Its so like "rastar moto" (like the street). So, when you make this one, do eat only ghugni. This one is made to be enjoyed alone. Not with roti, not wit luchi...just alone. Because this recipe has a street side punch in it, which by nature rebels to take it as it is, rather than pairing with anything else.

Cook till the tomatoes release oil

Add the boiled peas and their water and cook till done.

Rastar Moto Ghugni / Ghoogni

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

Preparing the peas:

2 cups of motor / yellow peas / white peas
1 medium potato / 2 small potatoes - peeled and cut into small pieces

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 bay leaf

1 small cinnamon stick

2 green cardamoms

2 cloves

4 dry red chillies

½ inch stick of ginger

Salt

Making Ghugni:

½ of a small onion

1 tomato – chopped

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp bhaja mosla (roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns and dry red chillies for 2 minutes, and then grind them to a fine powder.)

½ - 1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

2 dry red chillies

1 tbsp tamarind pulp

½ inch stick of ginger

3 garlic cloves – minced

2-3 tsp flour (optional)

A handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves

Some grated coconut (to finish off and to sprinkle while serving)

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt

Sugar

1 tbsp mustard oil

Method:

Preparing and cooking the peas:

Wash and soak the yellow peas overnight in some water.

In the same water, add in 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 bay leaf, green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick, a little of the ginger paste and dry red chillies. Add in some more water if required and start boiling. Add the potatoes to them when the peas are half cooked and cook till the peas are soft from inside but firm from outside. Don't worry about the potatoes, they will be cooked eventually. They should retain their shape and still feel soft to press. If you are using pressure cooker then put off the flame as soon as the cooker starts to do the buzzing sound before blowing whistles. Then release the pressure by loosening the vent bulb, and open the cover. If you are boiling the peas in a saucepan then keep a close eye to it.

Once done, drain the water and keep the peas aside. Do not throw away the water, we will need them for further cooking.

Making the ghugni:

In a kadai heat the oil and put in the cumin seeds, rest of the bay leaves and dry red chillies.

As they start to sizzle add in the chopped onions to them and sauté till they become translucent and their edges start to become golden.

At this point add in the chopped tomatoes to them. Also throw in half of the bhaja mosla, rest of the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.

Mix in and cook till the tomatoes become all mushy and they start to release oil. If you feel the spices are burning, then add a sprinkle of water to prevent them from burning.

As the tomatoes are cooking add the ginger and garlic paste, and cook till the raw flavour of the garlic is gone.

Finally add the boiled peas and 2 cups of the boiled peas water.

Mix in and cook till all the water is evaporated and the peas are all cooked and the potatoes are completely cooked and a little mushy.If the first batch of water is not enough to cook the peas and potatoes completely, add some more water to them.

When the peas are almost done, dilute the tamarind paste in a bowl of warm water and pour it into the curry. Mix in and keep cooking.

When the peas are ready and you are all set to put off the flame mix the flour into some water and pour it into the curry. Mix in to incorporate everything perfectly.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Sprinkle the garam masala powder, chopped coriander leaves, drizzle of lemon juice, and the rest of the bhaja mosla.

Give a careful stir and put off the flame.

Serve hot with the grated coconut and chopped onions, coriander leaves and green chillies on top of it.