I loved the pakoras I made recently and they have been such a hit so I wanted to play with some similar ideas with some other vegetables. After a couple of experiments I got to cauliflower but I felt more like a cheesy type fritter than a heavily curried, garlic and herb infused batter, so I skipped all those ingredients this time around and just used a couple of more mild flavours, some nutritional yeast and coated the cauliflower lighter in the batter.
This is another great one for a cold Sunday afternoon snack or for lunch on flat bread with hummus and salad or for a party.
YOU NEED
1/4 cauliflower head
1 cup chickpea flour (also known as besan flour or garbanzo flour)
water ( I have not given an amount because the amount varies between flours)
1 teaspoon of onion powder
5 tablespoons nutritional yeast (this is what makes it taste cheesy). I get my nutritional yeast from my organic grocer, from health food stores and online.
1 long red chilli, halved, seeded and finely sliced
1 teaspoon of salt
oil for frying (I use safflour or rice bran for frying)
extra salt for garnish
YOU DO
Heat a small pot of oil. I highly recommend getting a thermometer. You can pick them up for $20-$30. I judge the heat by look and experience but if you are unsure you will always know you have your oil at the right temperature. I also test the oil by throwing a tiny piece of bread into the oil when I think it’s ready and if the bread goes straight to the top and sizzles, the oil is hot enough.
While the oil is heating mix all the ingredients, except for the cauliflower in a large bowl until well combined and you have a thick batter. Just add water very slowly until you reach a thick batter. It needs to be thick though.
Cut the cauliflower into thin slices. You will find you will end up with some lovely complete slices of cauliflower and lots of smaller bits.
Put the cauliflower into the batter and mix well. The cauliflower will have a thin coating of batter. Enough for a crunch once fried.
Carefully place the cauliflower pieces, a few at a time into the oil and fry till golden brown. Place onto draining paper and season again with salt while the oil is still hot.
Serve immediately.
Serves: Yields a good amount but actual fritter pieces is always going to vary depending on how you cut the cauliflower. This quantity makes enough for half a dozen people to snack on along with other nibbles.
Time: This took me about 20 minutes
Freeze: Not suitable.
