Cauliflower fritters ( Phulkopi/Gobi Pakora)

One more pakora recipe from my kitchen - especially suitable for the monsoon time. Monsoon is in full swing now in India and it is the best time to enjoy fried food. I know many calorie conscious people avoid fried food these days. But we, Bengalis love our telebhaja (fried in oil) stuff like anything. At least it is better to enjoy the snacks made at home than to eat outside during monsoon season as most street outlets use old fried oil which is very unhealthy.

The basic technique of making vegetable pakora is more or less the same. So you can use similar procedure for aloo pakora, onion pakora or cabbage pakora also.

Preparation Time: - 25 min

Cooking Time: - 30 min

Servings: - 4~5 persons though capacity to consume pakora vary from person to person

Ingredients:- 

1. Cauliflower – 1 medium size cut into medium sized florets
2. Besan/gram flour - 2 cups
3. Ginger-garlic paste - ½ tbsp
4. Red chili powder - ½ tsp optional
5. Green Chilies – 1~2 cut into smallest pieces. I used this and did not use Red chili.
6. Onions – 1 medium ones cut into small pieces
7. Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
8. Garam Masala – ¼ teaspoon
9. Turmeric Powder – a pinch
10. Salt to taste.
11. A pinch of baking soda or baking powder (optional)
12. Water – as required
13. Oil – sufficient enough to reach 8 cm height in your kadai/frying pan. I prefer a 50:50 mixture of mustard oil and sunflower oil. But you can use any of them singularly.
14. Rice flour – 2 tbsp to make this fry crispy
15. Asafetida / Hing powder- a pinch
16. Lemon juice - ½ tsp (optional)
17. Chopped coriander leaves - 1 ~ 2 tbsp for garnish

Preparation:-

1. Cut the cauliflower in medium sized florets and rinse them in water
   
2. Boil sufficient water with salt and add the florets.
3. Take them off the flame and let them be immersed in the water for 10-12 minutes.
   
4. Drain and then marinate the cauliflower with red chili powder (optional), turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste and garam masala powder. Mix them well enough.  Keep aside for 8-10 minutes.
   
5. Now take another bowl, make a smooth batter with the besan/gram flour, asafetida, baking soda or baking powder, chopped onion, cumin seeds and water. You can add a little bit of sugar and oil here. If you are a sweet tooth you will like it. The oil will make the batter smoother.
   
6. Heat oil in a kadai /frying pan or deep fryer.
7. Dip the marinated cauliflower in the batter one by one.
8. Coat each floret with the batter and add these in the medium hot oil.
   
9. Fry till the pakoras/fritters are crisp and golden evenly.
10. Drain the excess oil on tissue paper/ paper towels.
11. Serve the gobi pakora hot or warm with Tomato sauce/ green chutney/ Chat Masala as you like.
12. You can sprinkle lemon juice and/or black pepper to add more tangy taste.

Another popular way to make these gobi pakoras is without marinating them. Just mix everything except the cauliflower and prepare the batter. Dip the cauliflower florets into the spiced batter and fry the gobi pakoras.

Try this hot as snacks or as a starter to rice/roti based lunch/dinner.

As always please feel free to comment, criticize and seek if any help is required. I am all ears.