Capsicum Zhunka

This is specially for my Vegetarian readers and friends.
I dedicate this to you.
I cooked it the first time, after I tasted it today during lunch from the lunch box of a colleague. His mom cooked it, it was awesome and I asked the recipe to another colleague. I rushed home and tried it. I actually had a Mutton dish in drafy for today but what the heck...

It is not actually Zhunka, but it is prepared similar to the onion Zhunka, the Maharashtrian Delicacy, so I just named it capsicum Zhunka...



This is the first of a series of Besan (chick pea flour) based recipes, quite common in Maharashtra. After vada, zhunka is the most popular Besan based preparation in Maharashtra. What I am writing about today is a Zhunka Derivative. It also is a derivative of the stuffed capsicum that I posted recently, because this is similar to zhunka and stuffed capsicum because instead of stuffing the capsicum with the Besan masala, I just chop capsicum and stir fry it with the masala.
Now since it is besan based and besan absorbs a lot of oil, it takes a lot of oil to cook this dish, and so it must not be the healthiest food around, but what the heck. It tastes just too good. And maybe, it should be had once in a while.

Ingredients:

Three capsicums, chopped into half cm squares, like in the picture.
Two medium Onions, chopped fine.
1 tsp of mustard seeds.
Half tsp of red chilli powder, and dhania powder.
A pinch of turmeric and salt to taste.
1 cup of besan.
Peanut or vegetable oil.

Steps:

Heat 3 tbs oil in a thick bottom kadhai.
Add the mustard seeds and let sputter.
Add the onions, reduce heat and cover the kadhai.
After 2-3 minutes when the onions are limp, add the chopped capsicum.
Sauté for a few minutes.
Add the red chilli, dhania, turmeric and salt to taste.
Add the besan and mix very well.
In low heat, keep stirring the mixture. It takes a lot of stirring to cook the besan uniformly.
Cover it, keep for 1 minute, open it, stir it, cover it again.
Repeat for 4-5 times till done.

Note:

The Stock market had the largest ever fall today. Sensex crashed by more than 820 points and Nifty by more than 240 points. I had been anticipating the fall for a long time, and luckily I had bought some nifty Put options yesterday. Yes, yesterday... and I made a 700% profit, by selling the options. I bougth nifty put 3400 yesterday because the market went up suddenly and I had made a very good gain the day before as well, and I thought what the heck and parlayed some of the profits. Today's fall was most unexpected, and the gain was a windfall. I am off the market for now. I won't be a second time lucky.... Actually, since I made a so much profit, I also bought two lots of nifty call today when I sold off the put options. lol. Let's see if the market rebounds tomorrow.

I had bought the Put options to hedge my holdings, but since I made profits, I felt like, why not play with the profits...... Well, it was Luck... maybe I will buy myself something...

I won't have time to square off my positions tomorrow though. Got a meeting from 9:30 to 3:30........ owwwww....with a VP..... But I will have lunch break....