Malabar cauliflower
The perfect little snack to rustle up for yourself, your family or when entertaining, these crispy cauliflower florets are intensely spiced and seriously moreish. The Malabar pepper is well worth seeking out – it adds a warmth that regular black pepper can’t (although it’s fine to use regular black pepper too). You can find this recipe and many others in Rohit's cookbook Tarkari.
Rohit says: ‘Malabar cauliflower is a spicy, deep-fried dish originating from Chennai in southern India. I make it as a quick snack and slightly tweak the recipe using Malabar pepper, one of the best quality black peppercorns.’
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 200g of cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp mild chilli powder
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp of rice flour
- 3 tbsp of cornflour
- 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, ideally Malabar black pepper
- 250ml of rapeseed oil, for deep-frying
- 1 tbsp of chopped coriander
- 1 tbsp of shredded coconut, or grated
- sea salt
- 2 dried red chillies, (optional)
Method
Place the cauliflower florets in a bowl and toss with the curry leaves, half of the chilli powder, lime juice and a pinch of salt
- 200g of cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 2 sprigs of curry leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp mild chilli powder
- 1 lime, juiced
- sea salt
Add the rice flour, cornflour, green chillies, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste, the remaining teaspoon of red chilli powder, black pepper and a pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp of rice flour
- 3 tbsp of cornflour
- 1 tsp mild chilli powder
- 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, ideally Malabar black pepper
- sea salt
Start trickling in water bit by bit, stirring the cauliflower constantly to create a batter – the batter shouldn’t be too thick or too thin; just thick enough to stick to and coat the cauliflower in a thin layer
Heat the rapeseed oil in a saucepan until it reaches 180°C. Drop the cauliflower florets in the oil and deep-fry until cooked through, crisp and golden brown (work in batches if you need to). This should take around 7-8 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper. If you’re including the red chillies, quickly fry them in the hot oil for a few seconds after all the cauliflower is done
- 250ml of rapeseed oil, for deep-frying
- 2 dried red chillies, (optional)
Serve hot with the chopped coriander, fried chillies and coconut sprinkled on top, plus a final pinch of the Malabar pepper
- 1 tbsp of chopped coriander
- 1 tbsp of shredded coconut, or grated
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