Chotpoti
A tangy, spicy dish of peas and potatoes with tamarind, onion, chilli and boiled egg.
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 45 min
- total
- 1 h
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Chotpoti shares a street-stall stage with fuchka across Bangladesh, built from boiled white peas and potato in a thin, tangy tamarind sauce rather than a stuffed crisp shell.
The two dishes often share a vendor and a plate, which is why crushed fuchka shells are such a common garnish on top of a chotpoti bowl.
Part of our 20 best Bangladeshi recipes list.
method
Drain the soaked peas, and boil them in fresh water with a little salt until tender but still holding their shape, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Drain most of the water, leaving the peas in a small amount of their own thick liquid, and stir in the diced boiled potato.
Mix the tamarind pulp with a little water, and stir it into the peas along with cumin powder, chaat masala, red chile powder and salt.
Simmer gently for 5 minutes to let the flavors come together, adjusting the consistency with a little water if it’s too thick.
Stir in half the chopped onion, green chile and coriander, and taste for balance between tangy, spicy and salty.
Serve in bowls, topped with chopped boiled egg, the remaining onion, chile and coriander, and a scattering of crushed fuchka shells for crunch.
chef's tips
- Keeping some of the peas' own cooking liquid in the final dish is what gives chotpoti its characteristic thin, tangy sauce rather than a dry mash.
- The crushed fuchka shells on top are a deliberate textural contrast, meant to add crunch right before eating rather than soften into the dish.