Mangsher Ghugni is a Bengali yellow pea curry made with mutton or minced meat. It's a cherished Bengali snack, often served as a side dish. When prepared with mutton, the flavor becomes even richer and more delicious. This recipe will show you how to make it!
Jump to:
Debjani's Note
While taking pictures for this post, I felt relaxed and thought it would be a quick process. However, I now find myself quite confused! It's not that I'm trying to explain something complex, but rather something truly Bengali: Mangsher Ghugni.
Bengalis have a great love for chaat, from Alu Kabli to Phuchka. And no list of our favorite chaat is complete without Ghugni. This thick curried yellow pea dish, or Motor, is topped with green chilies, cilantro, chopped onion, and a squeeze of tangy lemon juice. We all likely have a favorite vendor who makes the best Ghugni!
When thinking about Ghugni, there are two distinct ways to enjoy it. On one hand, it's the ultimate street food, bursting with the flavor of onion and fresh vegetables. On the other hand, it's a wonderful part of traditional Bengali vegetarian cuisine, prepared without onion or garlic and served with a sprinkle of "Bhaja Moshla" to boost its aroma.
However, this recipe focuses solely on the meaty version of Ghugni: Mangsher Ghugni.
Ghughni Variations!
This dish is definitely a family favorite, and I always follow my mother's recipe when I make my own Mangsher Ghugni. In our North Calcutta home, everyone loved Ghugni, and when meat was added, it became truly extraordinary! We never ate Niramish Ghugni after Bijaya Dashami, which is a Bengali tradition. Instead, our Dashami celebrations included adding mutton Keema to the Ghugni, making it even tastier, richer, and more special. However, at Dida's home, it was always niramish ghugni.
When I first tasted Ghugni at my in-laws' home, I noticed that my mother-in-law's recipe was quite similar to my mother's. Both families used a limited number of spices, and the wonderful aroma of their homemade Ghugni was always a highlight. This traditional Bengali dish, with its unique qualities, truly speaks for itself.
My mother-in-law makes Ghugni with such ease; it seems all Bengali mothers can create perfect Ghugni. They know exactly how to use spices and boil the yellow peas to the ideal consistency, where some peas remain whole, and some are mashed, creating a wonderful texture and a comforting aroma.
An affordable Recipe
Growing up, I often watched my mother and aunts prepare Mangsher Ghugni for our large family. They would add a smaller amount of minced meat to make it more affordable, a practical approach since we were a household of 18. Despite the resourcefulness needed, they never compromised on taste or health. They skillfully managed limited ingredients to feed everyone well.
Therefore, whenever we craved a mutton meal but had limited resources, we would often enjoy it in the form of Keema and Mangsher Ghugni, or Mutton Keema Ghugni, which was a favorite option.
Some Sundays were always made special with Mangsher Ghugni, featuring extra mutton keema and amazing cooking. The yellow peas were perfectly cooked, not mashed, and combined with just the right amount of spices. The slight crunch of the mutton keema always made it a heavenly dish.
Tips
Ghugni is a family favorite in my home, so I make it often, always adding extra mutton keema. In fact, I prefer a one-to-one ratio of yellow peas to minced mutton for my Mangsher Ghugni. I stick to my family's cooking method, using limited spices and slow cooking to achieve that perfect texture and aroma.
This is how you make Mangsher Ghughni!
Recipe Card
Mangsher Ghugni Recipe | Yellow Pea Curry with Minced Mutton
Mangsher Ghugni or Yellow Peas curry with minced mutton is a signature Bengali side and is a famous snack as well
Ingredients
- 250 g Yellow Peas / Motor
- 250 g Minced Mutton
- 2 Potato
- 3 Onion
- 1 Tomato
- 5 Green Chili
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Paste
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Paste
- 1 Dried Red Chili
- 2 Green Cardamom
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 3 tablespoon Mustard Oil
Instructions
- Wash Yellow Peas and soak the peas with salt overnight.
- Wash Mutton Keema or Minced Mutton under running water.
- Marinade it with a little Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder, Salt, Sugar, and half Tsp. Mustard Oil for an hour.
- Pressure Cook soaked Yellow Peas with ½ Tsp. salt and ½ Tsp. Turmeric Powder and 4 cups of water in medium flame with the vent weight on.
- Switch the flame off after three whistles coming from the cooker and open the cooker when the pressure drops completely.
- Separate the water from the boiled peas and keep it aside for adding if required to adjust the consistency of Ghughni.
- In the meantime, slice two Onions, a tomato, and two green chilies into long slices.
- Roughly chop one onion and 2 green chilies separately.
- Cut Potatoes into small cubes.
- Now heat Oil in a deep bottom pan and fry Potatoes until they turn brown in color strain from oil after frying.
- Now temper the remaining oil with dried Red Chili, Green Cardamom, and Bay leaf.
- Add sliced Onion and cook till onion turned light brown in color.
- Add Chopped tomatoes and cook till tomato softens then add ginger and garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes on low flame until the mixture releases oil.
- Now add Salt, Sugar, Cumin Powder, and Turmeric Powder and mix thoroughly.
- Add marinated Minced mutton and mix using a ladle.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for around 8-10 minutes on a slow flame.
- Add a little water from the reserved water which was kept separated from the boiled peas if required.
- Once the mutton is 80 % cooked add boiled Peas and Fried Potatoes and mix using a ladle.
- Now cook for 5 more minutes after adding around 1 cup of the reserved water on medium flame.
- The Ghughni should have a semi-dry consistency with visible pieces of peas along with some mashed portion.
- Now add Garam Masala Powder and give Ghughni a thorough mix and switch the flame off.
- Serve Mangsher Ghugni or Mutton Keema Ghughni hot after garnishing with chopped onion and green chili.
Nutrition
Mutton Recipes
- Keema Kaleji | Keema Kalija | Indian mutton mincemeat and mutton liver curry
- Bengali Chorbir Bora (also known as Mutton Fat Fritters)
- Bengali Mutton Stew with Veggies in a pressure cooker | Shobji diye Mangshor Jhol
- Nalli Nihari | Mutton Nihari Recipe | Gosht Nihari
- Joggi Barir Mangsho| Biyebarir Mutton Curry
- Gota Roshun diye Mangshor Jhol (also known as Bengali Mutton Curry with Garlic Pod)
- Keema Matar (also known as Mutton mincemeat cooked with green peas)
- Bengali Mete Chorchori (also known as Mutton Liver side with Potato chunks)
- Mangsha Tarkari ( also known as Oriya Mutton Curry)
- Kolkata Mutton Biryani | Calcutta Biryani
- Posto Mangsho (also known as Bengali Mutton Curry cooked with Poppy Seed Paste)
- Mangshor Jhol (also known as Bengali light Mutton curry) in a Pressure Cooker!
- Gota Moshlar Mangsho | Kata Moshlar Mangsho | Mutton cooked with whole spices
- Hyderabadi Haleem | Mutton Haleem | Haleem Recipe
- Gota Moshlar Mangsho (also known as Kata Moshlar Mangsho | Mutton cooked with whole spices)
- Kolkata's Mutton Tikia, the meaty delicacy!
- Bangladeshi Mutton Tehari
Let's connect over Mangsher Ghugni
Please inform me of your experience, and feel free to send a photo to [email protected]. Additionally, you can find me on various social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Google News, X, and Thread. Don't forget to use the hashtag #debjanirrannaghar when sharing your attempts at my recipes or if you have any questions or recipe requests.
Mangsher Ghugni Pin for your Pinterest board?
About Debjani Chatterjee Alam
I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.
Leave a Reply