Sunday, June 22, 2014

Jhunka Wadi

Jhunka Wadi is an absolute favorite dish of the people from North Karnataka. I was blessed to have lived a long part of my life in this place and grown up on such wonderful dishes. Jhunka is a spicy cake dish prepared with Chickpea flour and spices. It is an accompaniment with Hot Jowar Rotis topped with dollops of butter.

Ingredients :

Besan / chickpea flour  : 1 cup
Cumin seeds : 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tbsp
Onion : 1 big medium chopped
Ginger  :  Grated about an Inch
Garlic : 1 Pod , finely chopped
Turmeric powder : 1 Tbsp
Red chilli powder : 1 Tbsp
Asafoetida / Heeng : 2 pinches
Sugar : Optional : 2-3 pinches
Lemon : Juice 1/2 tbsp
Oil for cooking
alt to taste

Garnish : Coriainder Leaves.  Handful chopped.

For tempering :

1 teaspoon sesame seeds
4 to 5 curry leaves
oil





Method:

Step 1: Dissolve the Chikpee flour adding a little water at a time to make a thick batter. Mix in the turmeric powder, lemon juice, heeng, salt and red chilli powder and keep aside.

Step 2: Heat oil in a Deep Wok + add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow them to crackle.

Step 3:  Add in the chopped onions, ginger, garlic and saute them until soft and translucent.

Step 4 : Add in the chickpea mixture. cook on low flame and keep stir continuously so as to not form any lumps. Stirring the mixture continuously is the key to this dish. Do not allow the mixture to stick to the Wok bottom.   Keep doing cooking until the whole mixture turn Shiny in Texture.

Step 5 : Turn off the heat and immediately transfer all the contents of wok into a deep Plate or Dish. Spread it evenly using a Spatula. Allow it to cool for about 5 mins.

Step 6 : Using a bread knife, cut into rhombus shaped cakes.

Step 7: Tempering : Heat oil in a tempering pan + Add curry leaves and Sesame seeds. When the curry leaves crackle, Pour the whole mixture on to the Jhunka cakes. Garnish with finely chopped Coriander leaves.


Enjoy Hot with Jowar Rotis or as an accompaniment to Rice & Sambaar.


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