Cauliflower Malligai | Cauliflower maligai

I watch TV cookery shows(lets make that watched, shall we..), the favorite being Donna Hay's fast, fresh and simple, Nigella Kitchen and ofcourse our Tamil cookery shows. Back when I was in India, amma and me used to never miss a show of the Kitchen Superstars that got telecasted in Vijay TV, not because we loved the show but to compare it with Masterchef Australia. But then again I liked the show because amma and me used to spend some quality time together.

This recipe, we saw it in the "Masterclass" that the judges held for the contestants. It sounded simple and different from the regular manchurians or pakodas or fritters that we make with cauliflower and so amma decided to give it a go. Moreover we had a whole bunch of fresh coriander leaves which had to be used up and so the recipe sounded just right.

~*What U Need*~ To grind: Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Mint leaves - 1/4 cup Green chilli - 1 Ginger - 1" piece Garlic cloves - 2 Curry leaves - 2 sprigs Salt Cornflour - 1/4 cup Gram flour - 2 tbsp Rice flour - 2 tbsp Cauliflower florets - 1 cup Oil Green chilli - 1 Curry leaves - 1 sprig Thick curd - 1 tbsp Water, salt, turmeric powder How I Made it: Grind all the ingredients under 'to grind' to a paste. Soak cauliflower florets in water with salt and turmeric powder for 15 mins. After 15 mins, drain water and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Add the paste to the cauliflower along with the cornflour, gram flour and rice flour. Mix well, season with salt and allow to marinate for 15 mins. Heat oil and fry the florets till golden brown. In a kadai, add 1 tsp oil, add the slit green chillies and then the yogurt. After 2 mins, add the fried cauliflower florets and toss well.

Serve warm as starter!!!

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(Amma Cooks) Cauliflower Potato Green Curry

Am not a tv-cookery-show-copy-cater, in fact I never follow cookery shows. An occasional Fabulous cakes/Nigella's Kitchen/Donna Hay ~it's an yes for me, but switching on the TV every day at the right time is never me. Might be because I am never good at memorising the list of ingredients that they blurt out in a fraction of second, let alone remember the method on how to go about making the dish. Am that bad...

In fact I still turn the pages of the cookbook that amma gave me, the 32-page handwritten notebook which is filled with amma's recipes, whenever I make sambar. Am that bad in remembering stuff. Amma is just the opposite, she follows Tamil cookery shows and tries them in her kitchen and it turns out just perfect. One such dish was the Chicken Nilgris chops, a now-family-favorite. She's been making it for years now and we usually have it with Neichoru a.k.a ghee flavored rice ~ a winning combo in terms of flavor and taste. About the recipe, it uses lots of coriander leaves and mint leaves ground to a paste and so imagine the aroma of the dish.

It was a Saturday a no,non-veg day for us. We had cauliflower, potato but the aloo-gobi masala seemed to be made more often and so we thought of making something new. Amma suggested incorporating the flavors of the meat dish in cauliflower and I was so into it. We had it with a simple curd rice and the simplicity of the flavors made for a hearty lunch.

~*What U Need*~ Cauliflower - 1,medium Potato - 1, medium Onion - 2 Tomato - 1 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Salt, Oil Cardamom - 1 Cloves - 2 Cinnamon - 1" stick To Grind Mint leaves - 1/2 cup Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Green chilli - 1 Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup Thick Curd - 1 tbsp

How I Made it:
Grind all ingredients under "to grind" to a semi-coarse paste. Clean and soak the cauliflower in hot salted, turmeric powder water for 10-15 mins. Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai, add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and when brown, add the sliced onions. Once soft, add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes. Add the tomatoes and saute till soft and mushy. Add the masala powders and fry for 2 mins. Now add the cauliflower florets and potato, add half cup of water and allow to cook. When the vegetables are soft, add the ground paste and cook for 10 mins in slow flame. Season with salt, add water to bring to desired consistency and cook for 2-3 mins. Remove from flame.

Serve with rotis/pulaos/naans.

** My Notes:
** You could add more water and make it like a gravy or semi-gravy too.
** Add milk instead of water or even cream to make it more richer.
** Add 5 cashews soaked in warm water when grinding the paste for a richer taste.

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Gobi Kheema cutlets and frankies

The whole family loves cutlets, but not the toasted ones (except me). If cutlets, it has to be deep fried for them and so I don't make them. Toasted cutlets with paruppu saadam is comfort food for me. During my 12th, amma had to go through an operation and to make lunch simple, she made a big batch of potato cutlets and used to store it in the fridge. It was always cutlets with paruppu saadam for me but I never went yuck for the combo. In fact, as I said it is comfort food for me now.

With the huss away, I always opt for simple meals and to make matters easier I try to incorporate make-aheads as much as I can. The kid is turning naughtier day by day and he dashes off to the steps with the blink of any eye. So amma is always on the look-out for him and I take care of the kitchen business. As I was planning for a simple but not-the-regular weekend lunch, I saw the cauliflower head that I had bought from big bazaar just because it was on a sale. Its been cauliflower peas masala for a while now and so I just didn't want to make another batch of it.

And then I got reminded of "cutlets". Amma was ok with the toasted ones as she has become overly-health conscious these days and she was even game for the baked ones. So finally we settled for pan-fried cutlets. And then we decided to make a bigger batch so that we could use it for a couple of days. We made cutlets for our lunch and the next day we made some frankies spreading some mayo and tomato ketchup for our breakfast. You could make it more heavier topping it with more veggies of choice.

~*What U Need*~ For cutlets Cauliflower florets - 1 cup Potato - 1, medium Onion - 1, medium Tomato - 1, small Green chilli - 1 Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp Salt - to taste Egg - 1 Bread crumbs - to coat Fortune Rice Bran Oil - to toast For Frankies Wheat Tortilla/Chapathis/Plain Tortillas - 4 Cutlets - 4 Tomato Ketchup - 2 tbsp Garlic Mayonnaise - 4 tbsp Salt, pepper - to season Veggies of choice - optional

How I Made it:
Clean the cauliflower and cook in salted water with a pinch of turmeric for 5 mins. Drain from water, pat dry, grate and set aside. Pressure cook potato for 3 whistles or till tender, peel the skin and mash well.
Heat 1 tsp oil in a kadai and when hot add the cumin seeds, chopped green chilli and saute. Add the onions and saute till soft. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell fades off. Add tomato and saute till soft and done. Add the masala powders and salt and saute well.

Add grated cauliflower and cook for 2 mins. Then goes in the mashed potatoes, mix well. Bring together, pinch small balls out off this and flatten into cutlet shape. Dip into beaten egg and then coat evenly with bread crumbs. Toast in Fortune Rice Bran Oil till evenly cooked.

Serve with some ketchup!!!

To make the frankies, toast the tortillas with some Fortune Rice Bran Oil in a tawa. Spread the mayo and ketchup in the middle of the tortilla. Top with crumbled cutlet pieces, grated cheese(optional) and veggies of choice, both of which I ignored.

Serve with more mayo.

This post is a part of Healthy & Tasty Recipe Contest with Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil & BlogAdda.com

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Tandoori Gobi ~ Baked Version

Tandoored items have always been my favorite, the all-time being twice basted Tandoori chicken. The juicy and spicy chicken along with the crispy skin is a perfect accompaniment for naans or kulchas.
Its not only tandoored varieties but anything with a smoked flavor falls under the favie category. So when I had some cauliflower florets and the tummy was craving for some healthy evening snack I decided to try the veggie version. I served it with sauce but the mint-coriander-yogurt dip would have been the best.

This makes a great topping for pizzas or as a great filling for frankies or wraps.

~*What U Need*~ Cauliflower florets - 1/2 cup Hung curd / Greek Yogurt - 1/4 cup Red Chilli powder - 1/4 tsp Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp Olive oil - 1 tsp Salt - to taste Cumin powder - a big pinch Chicken Kebab / Tandoori masala - 1/2 tbsp

How I made it:
Soak the cauliflower florets in salted hot water for 5-10 mins. Drain water completely and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix all the other ingredients together, add the cauliflower florets and coat evenly. Refrigerate this for 2-3 hours.
Preheat oven to 220 C. Line a aluminum foil over a baking tray, arrange the marinated cauliflower florets and bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn the florets on both sides twice while baking.

Serve hot with sauce!!!

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Chilli Gobi ~ Dry

Okay now that all the celebrations have settled ~ Diwali, Christmas and finally Pongal is done ~ its time to settle and move over to everyday dining. We have Valentine's day next month but other than that there is no other festivity around the corner. So lets move on and have some Indo-Chinese dish like this spicy Chilly~Gobi.
I love to explore new cuisines ~ Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Arabian ~ name it and I would love to try a new dish from their culture. But the huss is just the opposite. Kebabs, tandooris and samosas are his things. One cuisine which both of us like to explore is Chinese. And that too he restricts to the Indo-Chinese combo. Gobi manchurian is one among the few Indo-chinese dishes that we have often and of the many I have tasted, I love the one that Wang's kitchen serves. They are crispy, chewy and tastes just right.
Disclaimer: This line is not a paid review. I have put it here out of my own interest.

Its the season of cauliflower here and the market is filled with fresh cauliflowers and the price is so cheap. Open my fridge at any point of time, this season and you can see a cauliflower peeping out. I love to include them in my salads with a simple mayo dressing and I just parboil them after good cleaning. That way they are crunchy and fresh. And for the huss, I make these cauliflower pakodas for his evening tea.

I generally don't prefer to include deep fried dishes in our meal but I break the rules once in a blue moon. Home-made rather than outside food sounds better to me. Atleast we could limit the oil and we can have a clean conscious that we are using ingredients which we know and which we handle. And it makes for a lunch which pleases your dear ones which gives you a satisfaction.
Now coming to the recipe, its hot, spicy and more hot with a slight hint of sweetness thus making it a perfect accompaniment for veg fried rice. You can add 2 or 3 chillies depending on the preferred spiciness but do keep in mind that we are adding chilli powder and green chilli sauce.

~*What U Need*~ Cauliflower florets - 2 cups Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - 1 tbsp For Chilli Sauce Garlic - 6, finely chopped Ginger – 1" piece, finely chopped Chopped onions - 1/4 cup Chilli Powder – 1 tsp Green chilli - 1 Chilli sauce - 1 tbsp Soy sauce - 1 tsp Tomato sauce - 1 tsp Cornflour - 1 tsp, dissolved in water Red Food color – a pinch (Optional) Oil - tbsp + for deep frying For Batter: All Purpose Flour / Maida – 1/2 cup Corn flour – 2 tbsp Soya Sauce – 1 tsp Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Salt to taste Water as needed

How I made it:
Boil water in a pan, add turmeric powder and salt. Now add cauliflower florets and parboil it. Drain and set aside. Heat oil for deep frying. Mix up the ingredients under batter list to a smooth paste. Dip the cauliflower in the mixture till evenly coated.

Fry till golden brown, drain and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadai, add ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry for 1 min.

Add onion and saute till glossy or 2 mins. Add ginger, garlic and green chilli and fry for 1 min. Add soy sauce, tomato sauce, chilli powder and chilli sauce. Mix well.

Finally add the cornflour slurry and cook in high flame till glossy. Add the fried cauliflowers and mix till evenly coated. Garnish with finely chopped spring onion or coriander leaves and serve.

Serve hot with fried rice or any pulao varieties.

** My Notes:
** I skipped the green chilli as we are not that much into spiciness.
** You can also make this as a gravy version.Add 1 cup water after adding the cornflour, and increase the cornflour to 2 tsp.
** Its hot with a mild sweetness which makes a perfect side for fried rice.
** Add salt if needed after doing a taste test. I skipped it cause the salt from the soy and chilli sauce did the business for me.

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Aloo Gobi

Potato and cauliflower are two of my favorite veggies. I love cauliflower so much that I can even boil them with some salt and pepper seasoned with some Italian herbs and chilli flakes and have it for my snack. Simple and healthy salad. Throw in some sweet corn kernels, parboiled carrot, green peas and you have a healthy breakfast salad. Whenever I make this, 'A' dumps in dollops of mayonnaise to make it edible for him. Throws cold stares when I tell him this is for breakfast.

So when I picked up a cauliflower from the market, he allowed me to buy it only when I promised him that I won't make the salad. So when I was browsing for recipes to use up my cauliflower, this struck in my head and I made this side dish for our dinner chapathis. He was happy to see something different on the plate with the core ingredient being cauliflower.

~*What U Need*~
Potato - 1 (Large)
Cauliflower florets - 1 cups
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Onion(medium) - 2
Tomato(medium) - 2
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tsp
Dried Kasurimethi leaves - 1 tsp
Salt - as required
Oil - 2 tsp

How I Made it:
Pressure cook the potatoes until cooked but firm. Peel off the skin and chop into chunks. Cook cauliflower florets in water with salt and turmeric powder until soft yet firm.
Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and allow it to crackle. Add onions and when soft, add ginger garlic paste. Fry till slightly brown. Add tomatoes and cook till mushy.

Now add turmeric, red chilli, garam masala powder and required salt and fry the masala for 2-3 mins. Add cauliflower and potatoes, mix well. Sprinkle some water and cook until the veggies absorb the masalas and becomes dry. Adjust salt at this stage. Add coriander leaves and dried kasurimethi leaves, give a stir and switch off.

Serve with rotis or rice!

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Cauliflower Masala for Dosas / Rotis & Cauliflower Masal Dosa

Be it Adyar Ananda Bhavan or Saravana Bhavan, I would order masal dosa most often. Sometimes potato masal, at times cauliflower masal and most of the times paneer masal. I had a half cauliflower lying idly in my pantry and hence tried making cauliflower masal stuffing for our dosas. It turned out to be good and the flavors complimented the dosas very well. Since it is the season of fresh peas, I threw in a handful of peas which added up to the flavor. You can serve this masala as a side dish for chapathis too.

~*What U Need*~
Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Potato - 1
Green Peas - a handful
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Onion(large) - 1
Tomatoes(small) - 1
Green chilli - 1
Tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder-1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Corriander leaves

Dosa batter - as needed
Oil / ghee

How I Made it:
Pressure cook the potato till soft (around 3 whistles), peel the skin and mash the potato. Take cauliflower florets and boil in water along with a pinch of turmeric powder and salt for 5-7 mins.
Heat oil in a pan, add cumin and fry. Add curry leaves and slit green chilli. Next add the onion and fry till the onions turn transparent. Add tomato ketchup and saute for a min. Add tomatoes and fry. Add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala and mix well. When the raw smell leaves, add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Now add the cauliflower florets, green peas and mix till the masala coats evenly and everything is cooked. Add chopped coriander leaves and give a mix.
This can be used as a side dish for chapathis too.

Cauliflower Masal Dosa

Heat the dosa tawa and when hot, spread a ladle of dosa batter evenly. Drizzle ghee. When crisp on one side, flip it over and cook the other side. Turn over and spoon in the cauliflower masala in the middle of the dosa. Close the dosa and serve hot with chutney and sambar.

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Crispy Fried Cauliflower

Yesterday I had a realization just like everyone here in the blogosphere had. I (or shall I say 'WE') hereby declare myself "addicted to blogging". Aren't we???

Lift up your hands if you had logged in yesterday atleast ten times to check if blogspot was up and running fine. I did it... Each time with a hope that Blogspot would return to normal life. And when it did I was rejoicing.
When I logged in happily, I was surprised and then irritated to see that 2 of my blogs and along with that ur lovely comments had vanished into thin air... But thank god I had read everything but again I miss them...
So this post, u guys would have already read, but re-posting due to the blogspot maintenance.
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Sometimes I hate Cauliflower pakoras or fritters. This happens once in the blue moon. My mouth craves something crispy and hot. That is when I make these crunchy and crispy fried cauliflower. I just love the crunch that this dish gives out when popped into the mouth. Would love it with curd rice. But can be served as a tea-time snack too.

~*What U Need*~

Cauliflower – 1
Gram flour – 2 tbsp
Corn flour – 1 tbsp
Rice flour – 1 tbsp
Baking soda – a pinch
Chilli powder – ½ tsp
Salt – as needed
Lemon juice – few drops
Oil – for frying

How I Made it
Cut the cauliflower into bite sized florets.
Heat water till warm along with some salt.
Immerse the cauliflower florets for 10 mins.
Mix all the above ingredients and let it marinate for 30 mins

Deep fry in oil till crispy.

Serve hot with rice / as a tea-time snack.

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