Ragda Recipe with step by step photos –Â For the uninitiated, Ragda is a curry or gravy preparation made from dried white peas and used in chaat items like Pani Puri, Ragda Puri, Ragda Patties, Dahi Ragda Puri or Ragda Chaat.
While making Pani Puri, I prefer to make ragda instead of boiled sprouted moong and potatoes. Just a personal liking. The process of making ragda is simple but takes a little long time.
In Mumbai, ragda is used instead of chole with the aloo tikki/pattice – making it Ragda Patties. Its a famous dish and one of our favorite chaat. Ragda is also used in Pani Puri instead of boiled chana, moong and potatoes. Dried white peas are also used to make masala puri chaat which is a famous chaat from bangalore.
By the way, this ragda recipe is again my mom’s recipe. You can make ragda with dried green peas too. Dried green peas are also used in making matar kulcha.
If you are looking for more snacks recipes then do check samosa, pav bhaji, bhel puri, veg momos, misal pav and aloo tikki.
Ragda Recipe for Ragda patties
Ragda Recipe
ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
- 1 cup white peas (safed matar or safed vatana) or dried green peas (hara matar)
- ¼ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon oil (optional)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
- 4 to 4.5 cups water
- salt as required
how to make Ragda Recipe
soaking dried white peas
Start the night before. Pick and rinse the dried white peas or safed matar.
- Soak the peas overnight or for 8 to 9 hours in enough water.
- Drain the water. Rinse the white peas in fresh clean water.
cooking white peas for ragda
- In a pressure cooker, add the soaked white peas with the turmeric powder, asafoetida, oil and salt.
Add water and mix well. Pressure cook for 10 to 11 minutes on medium flame.
- When the pressure falls in the cooker on its own, open the lid and check to see if the peas are cooked.
These peas take a long time to cook. In case, they are not cooked completely, pressure cook again for 7 to 8 minutes. Add 1.5 to 2 cups water and pressure cook.
- Generally, it happens that some peas gets cooked, whereas a few remain partially cooked. If this is the case you will have to cook it for some more minutes.
- Once the peas have become soft and mushy, check for the consistency of the ragda.
- If it is slightly watery, then evaporate the water by cooking the ragda in the pressure cooker without the lid.
- The ragda should not be very thick nor watery. Just slightly thick.
- Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly. Add the red chili powder to the hot ragda and mix well.
- Now this ragda can be used as the masala (filling) for Pani Puri.
- Ragda can also be used to make Ragda Pattice or a simple Ragda Chaat.
How to make Ragda Recipe
1. Pick and rinse the white peas. They are slightly creamish or creamish yellow in color. Soak the white peas overnight in water. The next day, you will see beautiful smooth rounded creamish yellow colored peas almost doubled in size. Drain the water. Rinse the soaked peas in fresh clean water.
2. In a pressure cooker, add the soaked white peas with the turmeric powder, asafoetida, salt and ½ tsp oil. Add 2.5 cups water and mix well.
3. Pressure cook for 10 to 11 minutes on a medium flame. When the pressure falls down on its own in the cooker, open the lid and check to see if the peas are cooked. Â These peas take a long time to cook. In case, they are not cooked completely, pressure cook again for 7 ti 8 minutes. I had to pressure cook again. Add 1.5 to 2 cups water and pressure cook again. The pic below shows the consistency of the ragda before I pressure cooked them again.
4. Generally, it happens that some peas gets cooked, whereas a few remain partially cooked. If this is the case you will have to cook it for some more minutes. Once the peas have become soft and mushy, check for the consistency of the ragda. If it is slightly watery, then evaporate the water by cooking the ragda in the pressure cooker without the lid. The ragda should not be very thick nor watery. Just slightly thick. This is the final consistency of the Ragda.
5. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly. Add the red chili powder to the hot ragda and mix well.
6. Now this ragda can be used as the masala (filling) for Pani Puri. It can also be used to make Ragda Pattice or a simple Ragda Chaat.
I always do ur recipes when my hubby wants to eat something like this but made at home.. I made this lots of time and he loves it alot… Thanks for such amazing recipes… Loving all these recipes… Me ND my husband both r diheart fan of Pani Puri and making it at home means delicious treat to me and him also… Thank u very much…
Welcome Seema. Glad to know this. Thanks for sharing this positive feedback. Being from Mumbai I also love pani puri and other chaat snacks like pav bhaji, bhel puri etc.
Hi Dassana, I was missing urban tadkas ragada chat after moving to Tamilnadu. I really loved the chat it was quick and easy. I just made a slight tweek added few garam masala, coriander powder along with chilli powder and jeera powder.
Chat prepared with mint chutney, imly chutney, puri, onion. Tossed with chilli powder, chat and pani puri masala, jeera powder, sev and coriander leaver with a pinch of lemon on ragda. It was awesome, I forgot to take a pic dwelting in it’s deliciousness, definetly will add a pic next time. Thanks…
thanks vijay for sharing all the variations. garam masala, coriander powder, jeera powder can be added. i am sure ragda chaat must have tasted awesome.
Actually i need the street taste of ragada
this is a very simple preparation and one that goes very well with pani puri. usually most street side vendors in mumbai, make the ragda recipe this way. they do not add too much spices. but yes there can be some more variations.
It is not so much clear about the preparation of ragada.
Your site is my destiny for every recipe and the way you present them is great and makes me feel oh it’s easy I can make it thanks
thank you very much sravanthi for these words.
I don’t know but there’s something about you that makes every recipe look so easy …
I don’t cook much cuz whatever I cook goes to trash . I’m 18 you see , very very inexperienced :/
I’m going to try this and hope it dosent go down in trash :p
thanks a lot mehvesh. the more you cook, the more you will know and be good at it. i hope this recipe turned out well for you.
Hi Dassana,
I live in Swiss. And white peas is not available here. Any alternative thing which I can make ragda with
poorva, you can try with dried green peas.
I’m a beginner …. I require lots of tym for chopping can I boil n mash the vegetables in nit n cook bhaji on next day afternoon do reply soon
shabana, are you referring to pav bhaji recipe. yes you can do it but use the vegetables in a day.
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