Ragda Recipe – Sharmis Passions

Ragda is a simple yet tasty evening snack made with dried yellow peas and few basic spices. This is mostly served as a base for many chaat items like ragda patties, samosa chaat and more. But even just plain ragda with a spoon of chutney tastes really good. You don’t need any fancy ingredients for this.

I make this when I want something light and filling. The cooked peas turns soft and creamy and goes so well with the spices added. It is not heavy like some fried snacks, so can have it guilt-free. And if you have soaked peas ready, it gets done very quickly. I sometimes pack this for short trips too.

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About Ragda

Ragda is a curry made using dried yellow peas which are soaked and pressure cooked until soft. It is then simmered with spices and onion to get a slightly thick and creamy consistency. This is often used as the base in popular street style chaats, but it tastes nice on its own too. The gravy is mildly spiced and not heavy.

In North Indian chaat stalls you will see ragda being used for patties, tikki, samosas and more. The taste is mildly spiced and comforting. You can even top it with chopped onions, coriander leaves, sweet chutney or green chutney. It soaks up flavors well. Even kids enjoy this if made less spicy.

The texture is little creamy with soft peas, but not completely mashed. It has few whole peas here and there makes it even more tasty. This one’s not too spicy, but you can add more chilli if you like it hot. You can even make it early and just heat it up when needed. Try not to mash fully, it tastes better this way.

I usually make this as a evening snack with some sev and raw onion on top. Sometimes I even have leftover and use it next day for making chaat. It’s very handy and keeps well for a day in fridge too.

Ragda Ingredients

• Dried yellow peas – I have used dried yellow peas which I soaked overnight. It makes cooking easy and gives soft creamy texture. Try not to skip soaking, else peas won’t get cooked properly.
• Onion – I have used small onions chopped finely. It gives slight sweetness and adds some texture too. You can use big onion also if that is what you have.
• Ginger garlic paste – I used fresh paste here, it gives nice smell and base flavor. If you don’t have, just crush and add little.
• Spice Powders – I added these for flavor and color. I have added just a pinch turmeric for color, chilli powder for little spice and coriander powder to balance all.
• Garam masala powder – It gives that light chaat smell and flavor. You can skip if you don’t prefer strong masala taste, but I like to add a little.
• Coriander leaves – I always use fresh coriander while cooking and also add more while serving. It gives fresh taste and smells good too.
• Oil – I have used regular cooking oil just for sautéing and boiling. You don’t need much for this.

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How to make Ragda Step by Step

1.Soak yellow peas overnight. In a pressure cooker add yellow peas along with enough water, turmeric powder and oil. Pressure cook for 3 whistles.

2.Mash it slightly and set aside.In a pan heat oil – add ginger garlic paste,add onion.

3.Saute until slightly browned, then add mashed peas along with red chili powder, garam masala powder and coriander powders with required salt. Mix well and let it boil.

4.After few mins it will start to become thick and dry, at this stage add little water. Let it boil until it becomes thick and creamy. Garnish with coriander leaves and switch off.

Serve as a snack.

Expert Tips

• Soaking – Try to soak the peas overnight or at least for 8 hours. Without soaking it, peas will stay hard even after pressure cooking.
• Mash lightly – I just mash it a little after cooking so some peas stay whole. It gives good texture while eating.
• Spice Level – You can add green chilli, If you want it spicier or even sprinkle chaat masala while serving. I do this sometimes when making for adults.
• Consistency – After adding water, let it boil well till it becomes creamy and slightly thick. Don’t make it watery else it won’t taste nice.
• Leftover idea – I sometimes use leftover ragda for stuffing in sandwich or roll. Just reheat and spread, it tastes yum with some chutney.

Serving and Storage

Serve them hot with some chopped onion, coriander and a sprinkle of chaat masala. This also goes well topped over tikkis or samosas. Store leftover in fridge and reheat with little water next time. It becomes more thick after cooling so adjust water while reheating.

FAQS

1.Can I use white peas instead of yellow?

Yes, white peas also works same. But yellow peas gives better flavor in my experience.

2.Do I need to add tomato?

This recipe doesn’t use tomato. But you can add if you like slight tang.

3.Is it spicy?

Not too much. You can control the spice level easily by adjusting the powders.

4.Can I freeze it?

You can store for 2 days in fridge. I haven’t tried freezing, but better to make fresh.

5.What goes well or I serve it with?

You can eat it plain, or top it on aloo tikkis, samosas or even bread toast.

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