Let us see how to make an authentic dish from Maharashtra, an Indian State – Zunka. The name sounds interesting, right?
Shhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge
I tried this Maharashtrian dish for an FB group. I have earlier said about this group where we will be paired with other fellow bloggers. They give you two secret ingredients to make the particular regional dish. So you should have guessed by now that this month’s theme was a dish from Maharashtra. I was paired with Renu, a lovely blogger who blogs at CookwithRenu. She gave me the secret ingredients Onion and Green Chili. In turn, I gave her two ingredients, chana dal and red chili powder with which she made delicious Chana dal Chataka
Maharashtra is the most industrialized state in India. It occupies the western and central parts of the country. It has a varied range of cuisines which have mild to spicy foods. Its staple food consists of wheat, jowar, bajri, lentils, and vegetables. Some of the popular dishes are Puran Poli, Batata vada, Misal Pav, and Pav bhaji. From this wide range of foods, I chose Zunka to make with the secret ingredients.
Zunka
Zunka is a traditional dish that is usually made with roti. It is made with Besan/ Chickpea Flour as a main ingredient. This is a delicious, spicy easy-to-make dish with lots of onions and green chili. I also served this with Dosa which tastes great. I adapted this recipe from this site.
How to make zunka
As I said, this is an easy and simple recipe. You will need just basic ingredients to make this. Make a paste of besan/chickpea flour with spices powders. Saute onions, green chilies, and garlic then mix the besan mix. Garnish with lots of cilantro. Serve with Sweet Potato Roti, Palak Roti, Cilantro Chapathi, Carrot Chapathi.
Other side dishes for you
Zunka recipe
INGREDIENTS
Besan/Chickpea Flour – 1/2 Cup
Onions – 1/2 Cup
Green Chili – 2 Nos
Garlic Pods – 2 Chopped
Mustard Seeds – 1/4 Tsp
Cumin – 1/4 Tsp
Asafoetida – a pinch
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 Tsp
Red Chili Powder – 1 Tsp
Salt – As required
Oil – 3 Tbsp
Cilantro – To Garnish
METHOD
- Mix besan, red chili powder, and salt in a bowl. Add 1 cup water and whisk to make a batter without any lumps.
- In a pan or kadai, heat oil.
- Add mustard seeds. When it crackles, add cumin seeds.
- Add green chili, asafoetida, onions, and turmeric powder.
- Saute’ till onions turn translucent.
- Add the besan mixture to it and mix stirring on low flame.
- Check for salt.
- The mixture starts thickening and leaving the sides of the pan.
- Drizzle a tsp of oil and cover it for a few minutes.
- The raw smell of besan should go away.
- Add chopped cilantro and switch off.
- Serve warm with roti.
NOTES
- Adjust green chili and red chili powder as per your spice requirements.
- You can also use whole red chili.
- After adding the besan mixture, turn the flame to low or the mixture will not cook and it will thicken.
Zunka – A Maharashtrian dish
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Besan/Chickpea Flour
- 1/2 Cup Onions Chopped
- 2 Nos Green Chili Chopped
- 2 Nos Garlic Pods Chopped
- 1/4 Tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1/4 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- Asafoetida a Pinch
- 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tsp Red Chili Powder
- Salt As Required
- 3 Tbsn Oil
- Cilantro As required
Instructions
- Mix besan, red Chili powder and salt in a bowl. Add 1 cup water and whisk to make a batter without any lumps.
- In a pan or kadai,heat oil.
- Add mustard seeds. When it crackle,add cumin seeds.
- Add green chili,asafoetida,onions and turmeric powder.
- Saute’ till onions turn translucent.
- Add the besan mixture to it and mix stir in low flame.
- Check for salt.
- The mixture starts thickening and leaving the sides of the pan.
- Drizzle a tsp of oil and cover it for few minutes.
- The raw smell of besan should go away.
- Add chopped cilantro and switch off.Serve warm with roti.
Notes
- Adjust green chili and red chili powder as per your spice requirements.
- You can also Whole Red Chili.
- After adding the besan mixture,turn the flame to low or the mixture will not cook and it gets thicken.
Nutrition
PIN ZUNKA FOR LATER
Sending this recipe to Fiesta Friday this week co hosted by Alex and Zeba
Sending this recipe to CookBlogShare
Loved the name zunka. A completely new dish for me. Looks so inviting. Bookmarking it to try out.
Thank you..
What a lovely name zunka. Looks delish. Loved this simple and easy to make recipe. Bookmarking it to try. Lovely share.
Thank you..
You have absolutely picked a favourite and that makes you a winner. 🙂 Zunka, Bhakar, green chillies and raw onion are the preferred rustic meal of the farmer in Maharashtra.
Thank you Aruna
Zunka is like the vegetarian’s scrambled egg 🙂 It looks delicious! One of those recipes that can easily be made in a jiffy and taste awesome!Thanks for sharing 🙂
You are absolutely right…Thank you
Lathi, with a simple ingredient like besan, one can come up with such a delicious main course option for the entire family. This is precisely what I love about Zunka. Loved that you took part, tried something authentic from the cuisine and loved it too.
Absolutely Vidhya, I can’t agree more…such simple ingredient. I was skeptical when trying but loved it ..Thank you for the wonderful event
Beautifully done zunka. I love it when zunka has loads of onion. Bhakari and zunka heaven on earth. Lovely share.
Thank you 😊
Zunka with loads of onion is my all time favourite side dish for rotis, simple yet a delicious gluten free dish to try without any fail.
Thank you
Zunka looks droll worthy.. A must recipe in Maharashtra cuisine. U made it soo perfectly..
Thank you 😊
Ultimate comfort food for me Lathiya . This with bhari, fresh onions and pickle— yummmm ! very well made too 🙂
Thank you Kalyani 👍
I like how something like besan can be used to make a curry. This is a nice recipe to try for lazy nights and when you run out of stocks in the kitchen…
Absolutely…How easy it is right? Thank you
Yummy and delicious. Zunka is a favourite in my house with some rice or bajra bhakri. You have made it so nicely and done full justice to the secret ingredients.
Thank you so much Renu..I’m glad I got to know this dish because of our group and the ingredients you gave …Loved to know that it can be had with rice too..
Isn’t this dish so so so amazing, pretty easy to make and so flavorful! I too couldn’t resist making it since my partner mentioned it. The fact that it can be made within a few minutes is so appealing. Love how you’ve clicked it on the tawa.
Thank you Mayuri..I loved the simplicity of this dish and how easy to make it..I’m glad you noticed the tawa
I haven’t come across this before but it sounds so tasty! It’s definitely something I’d love to try out.
Thank you Corina..Hope you will give a try
I love zunka! This looks just perfect – too delicious!
Thank you 😊
So delicious.. Easy to make yet amazing in taste. We make with out onion garlic and bit change in recipe. Can have it daily… Delicious
Ya,this is the first time I’m making it and loved it instantly.Thank you dear