Bihari Ghugni / Bihari Aloo Chana

I had prepared this delicious and nutritious ghugni as part of the Bihari thaali I posted a while ago. Ghugni happens to be a popular dish in Bihar and as well as in some of the neighboring states such as Asaam, Bengal and Odisha where it is enjoyed as a snack. The preparation of course varies from region to region. This spicy ghugni when made into a gravy, can be served as a side dish to go with roti, poori or even rice whereas the street version usually happens to be a dry one. Ghugni can also be prepared using white chickpeas, dried yellow peas or split chickpeas.

The onion and tomato mixture can be cooked directly in a pressure cooker and soaked chickpeas and potatoes can then be added and pressure cooked. For a quicker version, I cooked chick peas and potatoes individually and added to the cooked onion - tomato mixture that got cooked in a pan at the end.

Ingredients:
1.5 soaked and cooked black chick peas / kala chana
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (About a cup)
1 tbsp. mustard oil, preferably for authentic taste
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
2 green chili, sliced lengthwise
2 onions, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped / 1/4 tsp. garlic paste (I omitted it.)
1/2 inch ginger, finely grated / 1/4 tsp. ginger paste
1 big sized tomato, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. chole masala
1/2 tsp. garam masala

Directions:

* Soak chickpeas overnight or at least 8 hours with adequate water to soak. Let the container be big enough to hold the chickpeas which expand while soaking. Drain the water used to soak and pressure cook the chickpeas adding water as needed. 

* Cook the potatoes until tender and keep aside.
* Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and bay leaf.  Immediately add green chili, onion and grated ginger. Sauté until onions turn golden brown. 

* Next add the tomatoes and cook until they turn mush. Add turmeric, salt, red chili powder, cumin and coriander powder, garam masala and chole masala. Cook for a minute.
* Add cooked chickpeas and cooked potato cubes and simmer for about five minutes. Mash some of the potatoes if the gravy needs to be thicker.

* Serve it with Indian style breads / rice.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon under the theme 'Regional Side dishes'. Check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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