Zunka for breakfast? Fusion cooking with green onions
What happens when you take a traditional Indian dish and hand it off to one of your neighbors who is looking to use the amazing green onions from the farm produce that week?
It may be something that grandma in India may not approve, but for sure it makes a yummy breakfast!
I learned the recipe for Zunka from my neighbor Nita who learned it from a friend’s grandma in India. I had to go find some new Indian ingredients including ‘Besan’ (ground chick pea flour) because I really wanted to give this a try. I had these fresh spring onions that arrived from the farm and I thought they deserved my due respect. I wanted to feature them in a special new recipe
The Zunka recipe worked so well that I now order these onions every week from the farm, make a big batch at the start of the week, keep it in my fridge and then fry an egg over it each morning for breakfast. Definitely better than my old eggs and toast for sure ! Here is my now modified version. Wonder what grandma in India would say !
Ingredients
Mustard seeds - approx 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 3-4
Hing (Asafoetida) - a sprinkle
Cooking oil - about 1 tablespoon
Chilli powder - by taste, approx 1/4 teaspoon
Salt 0 by taste
Besan (chick pea flour) - about 2 tablesoons
And the onions of course - 1 bunch, approx 2-3
Method
Season mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing in oil. Wait for mustard seeds to pop.
Add the white portion of the onions and saute well.
Add chilli powder. I add a lot as we like it spicy.
Saute for some time.
Add in the greens of the onions and salt to taste.
Saute well and cover and cook well on medium till onions are cooked well.
Next add a couple of tablespoons of besan and mix and saute really well till all the raw smell is gone , then add about 1/2 cup of water and stir - till the water is absorbed and the dish comes together well.
Save if you can for later - sometimes you may finish it right away…
If stored in fridge , reheat
Make a fried egg - add on top and eat!
-Jessy, Los Altos