PATICHYA KANDYACHI ZUNKA

PATICHYA KANDYACHI ZUNKA

 There is something cute about spring onions which I like, apart from the taste of course. There are many dishes you can make using spring onions. Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes such as Sweet Corn & Spring Onion Soup, Spring Onion & Chilli Fried Rice, from Indian-Chinese cuisine and Spring Onion Bhuthi from our own Konkani cuisine.

Today's dish is from Maharashtrian cusine. Patichya Kanda means spring onions in Marathi while Zunka is a popular besan ( gram flour) based dish. This dish is served with phulkas or rotis.  I have adpated this recipe from "Patichya Kandyachi Zunka" by Swapna Sunil in Better Butter.

Ingredients:-

• Patichya Kanda ( Spring Onions), finely chopped, 2 cups
• Besan ( Gram Flour), 1 cup
• Green Chillies, chopped, 3, or to taste 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Oil, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Wash and clean the spring onions. Separate the bulbs from the greens, finely chop both the bulbs and the greens and keep aside
In a thick-bottomed kadhai, dry roast the besan on medium heat, stirring continuously till it gives off a good aroma. Keep aside. 

Heat oil in the same kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds change colour add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

Now add the chopped green chillies and saute for half a minute
To this add the chopped spring onion whites  (bulbs) and saute till translucent
Next add the spring onion greens and salt. Mix well and cook on medium flame till the spring onions get done  

Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and the dry roasted besan, little by little, and mix well
Sprinkle a little water and cook covered on medium flame, stirring from time to time, till the besan gets fully cooked ( about 8-10 minutes)
Typically, the texture of the zunka should be crumbly.
Transfer the zunka to a serving bowl and serve hot with phulkas or rotis

MUSHROOM, PEAS & SPRING ONION CURRY

MUSHROOM PEAS & SPRING ONION CURRY

At our home, we make dishes from mushrooms quite often as they are considered good for health in many ways. You will therefore find many recipes for mushroom dishes elsewhere in this blog, such as Mushroom Kurma, Mushroom Mint Pulao, and Matar Mushroom.

I came across this dish which has an unusual and interesting combination of mushroom, green peas, and spring onions. The recipe is adapted from the YouTube video for Mushroom Peas and Spring Onion Curry by Chef Sanjay Thumma of Vah Chef.

I have reduced the spice levels to suit my taste. We enjoyed this curry with hot rotis and hope that you will like it as much as we did.

Ingredients:

• Button Mushrooms, 200 gms
• Frozen Green Peas, 1/2 cup
• Spring Onion Whites & Greens, 1/2 cup
• Black Cumin ( Shahi Jeera), 1 tsp
• Onion, finely chopped, 1 cup
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Tomato Puree, 1 cup
• Cashewnut Paste, from 8-10 cashewnuts
• Chilli Powder, 1 to 1 & 1/2 tsp, or to taste
• Cumin (Jeera) Powder, 1 tsp
• Coriander (Dhania) Powder, 1 tsp
• Oil, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

Method:

Clean the mushrooms, pat them dry and quarter or slice them as per your preference. Keep aside

Soak the cashewnuts in a little warm water for about 10-15 minutes. Then grind them to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Wash and clean the spring onions. Chop the whites into discs, and cut the greens into long pieces. Keep aside.

Heat a little oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai and when it gets hot, add the black cumin and when they sizzle add the finely chopped onions. Saute till they turn golden brown

Add some salt, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, tomato puree and cook on medium flame till the moisture evaporates and the oil separates

Now add the cashewnut paste, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, and stir taking care not to let the spice powders burn

Add some water and add the mushrooms and cook for about 7-8 minutes

Add the frozen green peas, and cook for another 2 minutes till the gravy gets a thick consistency 

Add the spring onion whites which are cut into discs and then the spring onion greens

Mix it and switch off the gas as the spring onion greens should remain crunchy and not get cooked.

Serve hot with rotis, chappatis or rice.

SWEET CORN & SPRING ONION SOUP

SWEET CORN & SPRING ONION SOUP

With the weather being somewhat inclement in Bengaluru, many have taken to bed with bouts of cough, cold, fever and the like. We too had our share of cough and cold. During this time I made several soups to supplement our diet as they are both filling and healthy.

There are different types of soup. Some are rich and thick while others are light and clear. Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for Spinach Soup, Beetroot Soup, Mushroom Soup, and Lemon & Coriander Soup. 

A few days ago I tried out another soup, adapted from Sweet Corn & Spring Onion Soup by MasterChef Tarlaji Dalal. It turned out to be excellent and we enjoyed this thick and rich soup. The spring onions proved to be the perfect foil for the sweet corn.

I hope you will enjoy this soup as much as we did.

Ingredients:

• Sweet Corn Kernels, 1 cup
• Spring Onion Whites, chopped, 1 cup
• Spring Onion Greens, chopped, 1/2 cup
• Garlic, finely chopped, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Black Pepper, freshly ground, to taste
• Oil, 1 tsp

Method:

In a mixer, blend together the sweet corn kernels with a cup of water to get a coarse mixture. Keep aside

Heat oil in a non-stick kadhai and when it gets hot add the chopped spring onion whites and chopped garlic

Saute on medium flame for 2-3 minutes

To this, add the ground mixture of corn and water, salt, and 2 cups of water

Mix well and cook on medium flame for 6-7 minutes, stirring from time to time

Next add the spring onion greens and the freshly ground black pepper

Mix well and cook on medium flame for 2 minutes again stirring from time to time

Serve hot

SPRING ONION & CHILLI FRIED RICE

SPRING ONION & CHILLI FRIED RICE

The other day I found I had some cooked rice and was looking for a recipe which I could use. I wanted something quite different from the usual dishes I make using cooked rice such as Nellikayi Chitranna and Mint Pulao.

I then came across this recipe for Spring Onion & Chilli Fried Rice  in Gayathri's delightful blog Spices Galore which I have adapted to suit my requirements. I used the Chinese garlic as it has nice big cloves and used green chillies in place of the red chilli flakes.

It's important that the cooked rice is not mushy. The grains of the cooked rice should stay separate.

This was enjoyed by my family when it was served with Hakka Mushrooms.

Ingredients:

• Cooked Rice, 4 cups
• Chinese Garlic, 6 cloves
• Spring Onions, 1/3 cup
• Green Chillies, 1-2
• Soy Sauce, 1 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Oil, 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Vinegar, 2-3 tsp
• Spring Onion Greens, for garnishing

Method:

Finely mince the Chinese garlic. Keep aside

Chop the spring onions and separate the whites and the greens. Keep aside.
Finely chop the green chillies. Keep aside.
In a kadhai, add oil and when it is heated add the minced garlic
Saute the garlic till it gets dark taking care not to burn it
Add the salt, finely chopped green chillies, pepper, soy sauce, and the whites of the spring onions
Mix thoroughly and saute for 1-2 minutes
Now add the cooked rice and mix well
Cook on low flame for a few minutes
Lastly, add the vinegar and mix well
Serve hot, garnished with the chopped greens of the spring onions.

SALAD PLATTER

SALAD PLATTER

Here is a simple to make salad platter made up of Tomatoes, Cucumber and Spring Onions.

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