Besan zucchini stir fry is a quick and easy side dish that gets done in 10 minutes. Tender yet crunchy zucchini is a perfect summer side dish for rice, Indian flat breads and even grilled meats.
Theme for this is week is one ingredient, multiple recipes. As you may have guessed, the ingredient of the week is zucchini and the recipe of the day is besan zucchini stir fry. When I signed up for the theme, cracked wheat was on my mind because I already have a recipe in my drafts. Summer is just around the corner in this part of the world and heat index is gradually rising. It is the season for more outdoor activities and less time in the kitchen! Therefore, cracked wheat is replaced with zucchini. It cooks really quick and a great vegetable to cook with in less than 15 minutes!
Though grilled zucchini, zoodles and pickled zucchini were on top my list for this week, I ended up cooking a completely different menu for these three days.
Zucchini is great for grilling and it cooks really really fast. So does gram flour (besan) and taking these two ingredients, I made a really nice side dish that pairs well with rice, roti and with grilled meats as well. The recipe below is a no onion garlic recipe, however, it tastes equally good with onion and garlic. In fact, I prefer onion garlic one to this, as I love garlic and not a big fan of hing.
Gram Flour Zucchini Stir Fry Recipe
Besan zucchini stir fry is a quick and easy side dish. Zucchini is coated with seasoned gram flour, stir fried until just tender and crunchy.
- 1 medium sized Zucchini, about 200 grams
- 1 tbsp Gram Flour or Besan
- ¾ tsp Chili Powder, adjust to taste
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
- ¼ tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
- ½ tsp Salt, adjust to taste
- 4 tsp Oil
- Dash of Hing or Asafetida
- ¼ tsp Cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
- Cilantro for garnish
- ¼ cup chopped or sliced Onion
- 1 ½ - 2 tsp crushed Garlic or 2-3 fat Garlic cloves crushed
Wash and trim the edges of zucchini. Cut zucchini to quarters lengthwise and cut each quarter into ½ - ¾” pieces.
- In a bowl mix together gram flour, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt and mix well.
- Add chopped zucchini to gram flour mixture and toss to coat.
Heat oil in a small skillet or a pan and let cumin seeds roast in oil.
- Add hing and turmeric and give a quick stir. If using onion and garlic, skip hing and saute onion and garlic along with turmeric.
Add zucchini and stir fry for few seconds until oil coats all the pieces.
- Continue to stir fry for a minute on medium high flame.
Cover and cook on low flame for 2 minutes or until zucchini is cooked but crunchy.
Remove the lid, do a taste test and adjust seasoning.
- For a crispy zucchini, fry few more minutes else, turn off the flame.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Serve hot with rice, roti or even as a side dish for grilled meat.
Follow first four steps in the above recipe. Once cumin is roasted in oil, saute onions until soft, then add garlic and saute until for few seconds. Add turmeric and follow the rest of the steps. I do not use hing in this version.
- Since I made it without onion and garlic, I used hing. If using garlic, skip hing.
- I prefer onion garlic stir fry over no onion garlic one. Unlike this recipe, the one with onion is more like a dry curry and not very dry.
- Gram Flour - with onions, you can increase gram flour by a teaspoon or 2 and adjust reason accordingly. However, I feel 1 tablespoon is perfect.
- If you prefer soft zucchini, cook zucchini a few minutes longer.
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This day in:
2012 – Pasta Salad
2013 – Grilled Stuffed Mackerel
2014 – Microwave Roasted Spicy Peanuts
2016 – Green Beans Mini Soya Chunks Fry
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners are doing this BM#101
Usha I love your pictures, it’s always so bright and beautiful. This one is no different. Zucchini is definitely one vegetable that gets done fast. And this recipe is super quick as well.
Zucchini is getting popular here in India , but still remains one of the exotic veggies which we don’t get at the regular vendors , so I hardly cook it . But I love the recipe , the addition of besan to dry veggies always enhances their flavour and they taste delicious .
Simple , yet a delicious side dish .
Wow! That platter looks absolutely inviting Usha. Even I prefer recipes with onions and garlic. They do give an awesome taste. The zucchini stir fry looks so yum.
I would love to have that platter for lunch today. Adding besan to stir fry is brilliant. Lovely pictures to go as well.
Yummy looking Zucchini stir fry. adding besan must have a given the dish a very nice taste and aroma.
I love that you have kept the zucchini crispy instead of turning into a mush and the besan mixture coating adds a flavor base to the curry.
Lots of zucchini is available here..will try your way.. love to have it rolled in chapatis or paranthas.
Loved this . Yummy flavorful stir fry with besan. I should try this out soon…
Stir fry looks too tempting. so crispy and crunchy. I have tried cooking Zucchini only once.. Your post is motivating me to try again.
This is a brilliant adaptation Usha, the pictures are so droolworthy and make one want to grab it..looking forward to reading what else you cooked with this veggie!