Gobi 65 - Spicy Cauliflower Fritters

Gobi or cauliflower is a relatively new vegetable for me. Though I knew very well about it, neither mom nor MIL brought it home and cooked with it. For some reason, it had hardly made into our kitchens. My first encounter with this vegetable had been in the form of Gobi Manchurian in some chat shop in Bangalore, almost when I was in college and started eating out with friends occasionally.

Prior to that, as a kid, I had seen the Gobi manchurian in some wedding menus loaded with artificial colors making it look bright red. And funnily enough, I had believed it was some non-vegetarian item and had always been scared to even try it! And if there were florets of cauliflower in other dishes like pulav or so, I’d promptly keep it aside and finish with the rest of the dish, not bothering to even taste it!

It was after wedding that D introduced me to this beautiful vegetable in restaurants, and also got it home once, but again, as there were many non-takers for it at home, it didn’t become a regular. It remains one if D’s favorite veggies and I’ve started buying it here and experimenting it in various dishes. One such was this Gobi 65 and he loved it, so did I :)

It is flavorful, crispy, spicy and makes a good starter or as a side dish to some Chinese based menu like Fried Rice or Noodles. Here’s the recipe…

Gobi 65 - Spicy Cauliflower Fritters

Preparation time        : 15 min plus marinating time

Cooking time               : 30 min

Serves              :  4

Adapted from : Monsoon Spice

Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 1 medium, florets separated
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Garlic cloves - 2-3 large, thinly sliced
Green chilies - 1-2, chopped fine; adjust as per taste

Capsicum/Bell Pepper - 1 or 2, cut into 1 inch squares
Coriander Leaves - 2 Tbsp, finely chopped
1 tbsp Oil
Soya Sauce - 1Tbsp
Oil for deep frying

For Batter:
Maida/All Purpose Flour - ½ cup
Corn Flour- 2 Tbsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp, adjust acc to taste)
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp

Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water

Method:

• Semi cook the cauliflower
• Boil some water in a large pot
• Wash cauliflower florets under running water and transfer them to the boiling water.
• Cook it for 5 minutes till they are half cooked
• Drain all the water by passing through colander and run these cauliflower florets under cold water to stop cooking process. Keep it aside till needed. 

Batter:

• Take all purpose flour and corn flour in a mixing bowl and add all the ingredients for batter and mix well.
• Now start adding little water at time and keep mixing with a whisk to get thick batter of pouring consistency.
• Adjust the seasoning and spices according to your taste and add the cauliflower florets to it. Mix them well so that each floret is coated well.
• Cover it and let it marinate for at least 3-4 hours to build up all the flavors. If you’re pressed for time, even half an hour should do. 

Deep fry:

• Heat oil in a kadai or frying pan.
• Drop the florets into oil, one at a time, and fry them till golden brown in color in batches of 4-5, depending on the size of your pan.
• Place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
• Repeat for the next batch and deep fry them till golden brown and crisp.  

Assemble:

• Heat about a tbsp of oil in a pan and add thinly sliced garlic and chopped green chilies to it.
• When it starts to turn light golden, mix in finely chopped onions and cook till they turn translucent.
• Next add bell pepper pieces and toss them for a minute or two. Mix in soya sauce, if using, and toss them for a minute.
• Add deep fried Gobi 65 and mix them well.
• Turn off the stove and mix in finely chopped coriander leaves.
• Serve this delicious Gobi 65 as a side dish along Veg Fried Rice or Noodles or as a starter

Notes:

• Mix in the fried gobi with the other stuff just before serving to retain the crunchiness; else it may get soggy