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JEYASHRI SURESH
Cauliflower, or gobi, pakoda is an easy snack to make. It is a tasty tea-time serving, perfect for rainy weather.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 3
Ingredients
Cauliflower florets: 2 cups
Besan or kadalai maavu: 1/2 cup
Rice flour: 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Salt: As needed
Baking soda: A pinch
Oil: For deep frying
Chaat masala: 2-3 pinches (optional)
Method:
1) Wash the cauliflower florets and keep them aside. Take water in a pan and add some salt to it. Bring it to a boil.
2) Add the cauliflower florets. Let these stay in hot water for a minute. Drain the water and keep it aside.
3) Take the besan, rice flour, red chilli powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add some water and make a thick paste out of this without any lumps. The consistency should be a little thicker than idli batter. Beat the mixture with a spoon to get a nice, airy batter.
4) If you add more water by mistake, add 1-2 tblsp of rice flour to bring it to the right consistency.
5) Add the cauliflower florets to this and mix well. Let all the florets get coated with the batter evenly.
6) Heat the oil for deep frying. When it is hot, bring the oil to medium flame and put the cauliflower florets in oil and fry in batches.
7) Let this cook, until the florets become golden brown on the outer side. Once this is done, take out the florets from the oil and drain them in a kitchen towel.
8) While they are hot, sprinkle some chaat masala on them and serve hot. Chaat masala is optional.
Notes:
a) You can add ginger-garlic paste to the batter.
b) Ajwain or omam can also be added to the batter. Ensure that the batter is not too thin, else it will not get even coating and will absorb oil. Keep the cauliflower florets ready and mix the batter just before frying.
c) I made the mixture in one shot and kept one batch without frying in the refrigerator. I fried it after three hours. It turned out pretty well.
d) Do not fry in low flame. It will make the pakoras soggy.
e) Finely-chopped coriander leaves can be added to the batter to give a nice flavour. f) Enjoy the cauliflower pakodas with ginger tea or filter coffee.
tabla@sph.com.sg
Jeyashri Suresh runs the vegetarian food website www.jeyashriskitchen.com
