Cauliflower 65

I have a love/hate relationship with cauliflower. To my taste cooking it as a plain boiled vegetable it is the worst! Add some spices, bake or deep fry and suddenly it transforms this humble vegetable into an amazing, tasty meal.

This recipe is for a vegan version of the famous Indian dish 'Chicken 65'. It is a lightly spiced dish suitable as a starter or as part of a larger Indian meal including dals, roti or rice.

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized cauliflower

Marinade

• 1.5 tsp. ginger paste

• 1.5 tsp. garlic paste

• 1 tbsp. mild chilli powder

Batter

• 8 tbsp. besan or chickpea flour

• 4 tbsp. corn starch

• 1 tsp. garam masala

• 0.5 tsp. tumeric

• 0.5 tsp. coriander powder

• 0.5 tsp. chilli powder

• 2 tsp. lemon juice

• About 1/2cup of water

Tempering

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

• 1 tsp. mustard seeds

• 1 small onion

• 1 tsp. ginger paste

• 1 tsp. garlic paste

• 4 green chillies

• 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

• Salt to taste

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions

Chop the cauliflower into bite size pieces, place into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.

Mix the marinade ingredients together to form a paste.

Drain the cauliflower and gently apply the marinade paste to cover all the cauliflower pieces.

Leave to marinade for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add all the batter ingredients to the cauliflower and mix until well combined.

Add oil to a deep frying pan. Fry the cauliflower over medium heat and in batches until they are crisp and cooked through, roughly 5 minutes.

Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.

Remove all the oil apart from 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the mustard seeds and allow to splutter. After 30 seconds add the sliced onions and cook for around 5 minutes until they become translucent.

Add the rest of the tempering ingredients, apart from the fresh coriander, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cauliflower back to the pan along with the fresh coriander and stir to coat.

#vegan #cauliflower #indian #Gobi