Recipe: Zunka

This has been the most requested recipe since the past few months. Every time I post Insta stories about #Zunka, I get flooded with messages for its recipe.
This is my favourite because it has minimum ingredients, tastes heavenly and also because this recipe originates from the peasant families of Maharashtra. So it's humble and filling.
So without much ado, let's get to the recipe.

Ingredients: This serves 4 people
2 onions finely chopped
3 cups besan/chickpea flour
1 cup cilantro finely chopped
3-4 green chillies chopped (I use the less spicier ones)
few curry leaves
15-20 medium sized garlic cloves (the more the better)
2 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds
1 teaspoon haldi
1/2 teaspoon hing
4 tablespoons oil
salt as per taste




Method:
In a mortar and pestle, grind garlic, green chillies, half the cilantro, 1 teaspoon jeera and a pinch of salt. This is the most important step of the recipe. If you skip it and use pre-made chilly/garlic paste, it doesn't give the best results.

So basically, go old school and grind these 4 ingredients till a coarse paste is obtained.
In a separate pot heat around 7 cups of water.
In another bowl, mix besan with water to achieve a dosa batter like consistency.


When all this is ready, lets start cooking.

In a heavy bottom pan add oil, wait for it to heat.
Then add the remaining jeera, curry leaves, haldi and hing.
When the jeera starts to splutter, add the ground paste and saute for 2 minutes. Make sure the flame is on low, as you don't want the spices and the garlic-chilly paste to burn.
Once sauteed, add the onions and saute till they turn translucent. Also add salt at this point.


Now add the boiling water to the onions and stir.


Once this concoction comes to a boil, add the besan batter to the boiling concoction, and while you are doing this, make sure you keep stirring.


You will see that the besan batter starts thickening up.
Keep stirring till the besan is cooked and you achieve the desired consistency.
I like to keep my zunka a bit runny, but ideally it's a lot thicker.



Now sprinkle the remaining cilantro and stir.
Voila, your zunka/pithla is ready.



It is best enjoyed with bhakri and mirchi cha thecha.


My daughter enjoys it with rice.
Hope you like this recipe and try it.