Zunka Bhakar

Chickpea flour stir-fry with jowar flatbread — the most iconic Vidarbha meal: zunka is made by frying dried red chilli, mustard seeds, cumin, asafoetida, garlic, and onion in oil, then dry-roasting chickpea flour (besan) in the same pan until it turns golden and nutty, adding water in a measured stream and stirring continuously until the besan absorbs all the liquid and sets into a soft, crumbly, fragrant mass. Seasoned with salt, turmeric, and fresh coriander. The zunka is the protein preparation eaten alongside jowar bhakri in the traditional Maharashtrian farmer's meal — together they form zunka-bhakar, the agricultural worker's complete meal that provides sustained energy for physical labour. The combination is considered the true food of Maharashtra's rural soul; associated with the region's farming identity in the same way dal-bati is associated with Rajasthan.