It is literally ready in under 30 minutes. Just like any fritters, serve them hot with or without a dipping sauces. I suggest trying them along with Indian masala chai on a Sunday for an Indian afternoon tea- you will love it too! These can be deep fried, air fried or baked! I just cannot imagine a curry night without these cauliflower pakoras, tarka dal, naan bread and cucumber raita.
Why you’ll love this Cauliflower Pakora’s?
Budget-friendly: Homemade pakoras are cheap, easy to make, and can be prepared with pantry ingredients. Ready in 30 minutes: Why make a trip to the supermarket when you can make them at home in just 30 minutes or so? It’s the perfect choice to satisfy your family’s craving for something delicious yet easy to prepare. Simple and Easy: Simply mix the ingredients and deep-fry them to a golden and crispy perfection. How much easier can pakoras get? Personal Touch: The recipe is flexible and easy to adapt. Adjust the spices and heat level to your preference. Dietary Needs: The recipe is suitable for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diets The method is similar to making triple cooked chips. In this case we are using cauliflower. However if you are serving immediately, you only fry them once. But for serving for later, double fry them for maximum crispiness.
Cauliflower: Also popularly known as Gobi. Cut them into medium sized florets to use in the recipe. Gram flour – also known as Chickpea Flour or Besan is naturally gluten-free. It has a nutty flavour and is easily available in major supermarkets. Rice flour – is optional. If you want extra vegetable pakoras, then do add the rice flour. Baking soda: Brings out a lighter texture in the pakoras Spices: I like to add turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, coriander, and garam masala. Chilli: A mixture of both green chilli and Kashmiri chilli powder can be added to the pakora batter. If you like it less spicy, leave out diced green chilli. Herbs: Coriander leaves are delicious in bhajis, so do add them. For a variation you can also add mint leaves, kasuri methi. Water: Only add as much as you need to create a single cream consistency.. There is no fixed proportion, but the mentioned quantity is for reference. Ginger Garlic: Both add immense flavours to the Cauliflower pakora. Salt: to taste. Oil: Any neutral flavour oil such as Sunflower oil or Vegetable oil can be used for deep frying.
How to Prepare the Cauliflower for Pakoras
Heat water in a pan and add the cauliflower. Bring it a boil, simmer and cook briefly for 3-4 minutes. Check if the cauliflower are fork tender. Drain and set aside. This step is necessary to ensure the cauliflower is cooked well thoroughly and frying time is reduced. However if you wish to skip the parboiling step, you will have to fry the pakode for longer.
Cauliflower Pakora batter
Prepare the fragrant pakora batter with chickpea flour, rice flour, coriander, baking soda, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and garam masala.Add a little water at time and combine with a spoon/ whisk until you have a pancake batter consistency.
Make the Cauliflower Pakoras on the stove
Heat oil over medium flame in a pan or kadai. Test the oil by adding a small portion of the pakora; they should sizzle and come up immediately. Pick one cauliflower floret at a time, dip in the batter, shake off the excess and add it to the hot oil. Deep fry for 4-5 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon. Transfer to a plate lined with paper. Air fry at 180C / 350F for 12-14 minutes until golden and crispy. Bear in mind the texture will vary from the deep fried pakoras.
How to bake Cauliflower Pakoras?
To oven bake delicious cauliflower pakoras, start by preheating your oven to 200°C (392°F). Coat cauliflower florets in pakora batter, shake off excess, and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping them a couple of times until they are golden and crispy. Enjoy your homemade baked cauliflower pakoras with your favourite dipping sauce or chutney.
Gobi Pakora Garnish
While you can serve the Cauliflower Pakoras as it is, I recommend sprinkling chaat masala and serve it with a garnish of fresh coriander and sliced onions.
Adding rice flour to the pakora batter enhances the crispiness. Double frying the pakoras will leave them crispy for a longer period of time just like triple cooked chips. Transfer the fried pakoras to a plate lined with kitchen paper briefly. This absorbs oil, but also leaves the bottom soggy if left on too long. So transfer to a wire rack after 5 minutes.
How to make ahead the cauliflower pakoras?
Prep the cauliflower florets and pakora batter as per the recipe. Deep fry the cauliflower until golden brown. Drain to a kitchen paper. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Just 10-15 minutes before serving, deep fry again for 2-3 minutes until crispy again.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Gobi pakora with dipping sauces like Ketchup, Green Chutney, Cucumber Raita and Mango Chutney. As a side for curries like Black Dal, Chana Saag, Split peas Tarka dal and more. Tuck them in roti with lettuce, green chutney, raita and kachumber salad.
Love Cauliflower recipes, you will also love
Whole roasted cauliflower Air fryer cauliflower steaks Aloo Gobi tray bake Buffalo Cauliflower wings Popcorn cauliflower Air fryer roasted cauliflower Post a photo of your creation on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #sandhyaskitchen. I would love to see your pictures! Subscribe to our weekly newsletters!
