South Indian Recipes

Cauliflower/Gobi 65

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It’s a rare occurrence that my husband lets me make anything other than Manchurian with cauliflower/gobi, since that is his absolute favorite dish. But, I really wanted to try out Gobi 65. Luckily, he ended up loving this as well!

The first and only time I have eaten Gobi 65 was at my friend’s house. Before that, I had never heard of it. Turns out this the vegetarian version of a popular crispy dish that originates from Tamil Nadu.

It’s so delicious and the perfect snack! Although I ended up eating way too many and called it my dinner. Yum.

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Gobi 65

Recipe by Chaitra’s CreationsCuisine: Indian, South Indian
Servings

4

servings
Prep Time

20

minutes
Cooking Time

30

minutes
Calories per Serving

200

kcal

Deep fried cauliflower tossed in a spicy, yogurt based sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 medium cauliflower (separated into medium sized florets)

  • For the Dry Batter

  • 2 tbsp cornstarch

  • 2 tbsp rice flour

  • A few crumbled/chopped curry leaves

  • Salt to taste

  • A pinch of red food coloring (optional)

  • 1 tbsp 65 masala

  • For the Wet Mixture

  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour/white flour

  • 1/2 cup cornstarch

  • Salt to taste

  • 1/2-1 cup water

  • For the Sauce

  • 1 tbsp oil

  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)

  • 1/2 inch ginger (grated)

  • 2-4 green chilis (minced or thinly slit)

  • A few curry leaves

  • 1 tbsp red chili sauce

  • 1/4 cup thick yogurt (Check out how to make homemade yogurt here.)

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Separate 1 medium cauliflower into medium sized florets. Wash and dry the florets.

  • Then, blanche the cauliflower. First, boil water in a pot. Add cauliflower florets and let cook for just a few minutes. Drain and let it air dry. Keep aside.
  • In a plate, combine dry mixture: 2 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tbsp rice flour, a few crumbled/chopped curry leaves, salt to taste, a pinch of red food coloring (optional), and 1 tbsp 65 masala.
  • Completely immerse the blanched cauliflower in the dry mixture. (Note: The purpose of this is to make sure that the entire cauliflower is immersed in flavor.)
  • In a separate bowl, combine wet mixture: 1/2 cup white flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, salt to taste, and 1/2 -1 cup water. Whisk smooth to remove any lumps. The mixture should be on the thick side.
  • Fill a frying pot about half full with oil. Heat at a medium flame.
  • Once the oil is hot, take a cauliflower (immersed in the dry mixture) and coat it with the wet mixture. Then, drop a coated cauliflower floret into the frying pot. (Note: Make sure that there is enough oil to completely cover the cauliflower floret. Place as many wedges as you can in the oil, but spread them apart – don’t let them touch each other. )
  • Deep fry all the cauliflower in batches until they turn golden and crispy. Take them out of the oil, using a spider strainer and place them on a paper towel  (placed on a bowl or plate) to absorb the oil. Once all the cauliflower has been fried, quickly deep fry them again for extra crispiness. Or you can skip this step, if you are satisfied with the level of crispiness.
  • Now it’s time to start the sauce. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a sauté pan at a medium flame. Add 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1/2 inch ginger (grated), 2-4 green chilis (thinly slit or minced), and a few curry leaves. Sauté till aromatic.
  • Then add 1 tbsp red chili sauce and 1/4 cup thick yogurt. You can also add another pinch of red food coloring at this point (optional). Also add a bit of salt to taste.
  • Let the sauce simmer slightly. Then, take off flame and add the fried cauliflower/ Gobi. Toss well. Enjoy your Gobi 65 piping hot! 🙂

Notes

  • 65 masala is found in many Indian stores. It is typically called Chicken 65 masala, but it is vegetarian. However, if you don’t have it, you could use a blend of Garam Masala and Red Chili Powder instead.
  • Red food coloring is not required. It doesn’t really add to the taste, but gives this dish a nice rich color! 🙂
  • If you are nervous about deep frying, my advice is to use a small, deep pot/pan instead of a wider, shallow one. Also, if you aren’t comfortable dropping the item to be fried into the hot oil with your bare hands, a spoon works just as well.
  • As mentioned in the instructions, you can double fry the cauliflower for extra crispiness. However, this is not required.
  • If you don’t have red chili sauce, you could use tomato sauce or even ketchup.
  • For this particular recipe, I prefer to finely mince the garlic by hand instead of crushing it in a mortar or pestle or using a paste. I believe it adds to the flavor.
  • I prefer to grate my ginger. Alternatively, you could use a pre-made ginger paste.
  • I prefer to mince my green chilis in a grinder. However, you can finely mince them by hand or even just slit them.
  • There are many versions of this recipe. This is my tried and true version that I came up with.  I hope you love it!
  • Vegan Option: Use dairy free yogurt or a bit of coconut cream to add thickness to the sauce.

Did you make this recipe?

I hope you all try this recipe out! I would love to see your own adventures in cooking! Please take a pic and share them with me on Instagram/Facebook @chaitrascreations.

 

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