Jhunka or zunka is a gram flour porridge or a gram flour curry, similar to polenta. It is a traditional Indian dish prepared in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

North Karnataka North Karnataka (kannada: ಉತ್ತರ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ''Transliteration: Uttara Karnataka'') is a geographical region in Deccan plateau from elevation that constitutes the region of the Karnataka state in India and the region consi ...

, and

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

. It is also known by the name of pithla or pithle. When served with

bhakri Bhakri () is a round flatbread often eaten in the cuisines of the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Karnataka in India. Bhakri is prepared using jowar or bajra, which is coarser than a regular wheat chapati. Bhakri can be either sof ...

, the dish is referred to as ''jhunka bhakar'' or ''pithla bhakri''. Pithle is also known as ''chun'' in the

Vidarbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the west Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Forming the eastern part of the state, it comprises Amravati Division, Amrav ...

region of Maharashtra. Pithla

Jhunka with bhakar is considered the quintessential peasant fare of Maharashtra. It is accompanied by ''kharda'' or '' thecha''. In recent times, ''pithla bhakri'' has become an inseparable part of treks to mountain forts such as

Sinhagad Sinhagad (''Lion's Fort'') is an ancient hill fortress located at around 28 km southwest of the city of Pune, India. Previously known as ''Kondhana'', the fort had been the site of many battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1 ...

. Zunka/pithla is considered a nutritious food because of its balanced content of fiber, protein, carbohydrates and potassium.

Preparation

Jhunka is made by mixing

gram flour Besan or gram flour is a pulse flour made from chana dal or chickpea flour (split Bengal gram) or brown/ ''kaala chana'', a chickpea. It is a staple ingredient in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, including Indian, Bangladeshi, Burmese, ...

(''besan'') with water to form a semi-solid paste. It is then sauteed in oil with assorted ingredients like green chillies, red chilli powder, turmeric, salt, fried onions, mustard seeds, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds and coriander leaves. Jhunka is traditionally served with

and is also eaten with ''

roti Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, East African, and Southeast African countries. It is made from stoneground whole-wheat flour, kno ...

'' or rice.

Political significance

In 1995, the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government launched the Zhunka-Bhaakar scheme in Maharashtra. The scheme was intended to address the state's socioeconomic crisis by allocating over 6000 stalls to the unemployed. The plan was not successful because the stalls were not able to provide the zunka-bhakar at the subsidized price of one rupee, so they began selling other foods instead. In 2000, the Congress-NCP government ended the scheme and the Supreme Court upheld this decision.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jhunka Maharashtrian cuisine Karnataka cuisine Hindu cuisine Indian cuisine South Asian cuisine Vegetarian cuisine Vegetarian dishes of India