I love cauliflower to bits! Cauliflower is one of the first vegetables of which I have any real memory of as a child. They use to be the size of footballs in the early 90s when we were living in Dehradun. But then we moved to Chennai and they disappeared from my life for a few years. I think the mid to late 90s was when cauliflower was gaining prominence in Chennai. I remember my mother saying she has never tasted it until she was in Dehradun!
Anyhow, Cauliflower came back into my life and with that, lots of happiness. Me and sis loved cauliflower like no other vegetable and that made mother's life easier. Not that she had much trouble getting me to eat anything, plus she is a spectacular cook.
Until recently I have used cauliflower only in a dry subzi / curry made north Indian or south Indian style. I have started exploring adding more flavors and combinations to cauliflower but that post is for another day. Today's recipe is about a simple humble cauliflower Tandoori, but instead of making it in a tandoor or oven, we are going to make it in a pan or Tawa. The whole process takes under 30 minutes and the flavor is just like the gobi made in the Tandoor and does not use any store bought ready made tandoor mix.
(Tandoor is a clay oven that is used for cooking or baking meats, kebabs, grills as well as breads)
Ingredients
Cauliflower florets - from one cauliflower head
Yogurt /Thick Curd - 1 cup
Garlic pots - 3 or 4
Oil - 1-2 tsp
Salt to taste
For the Tandoor mix:
Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp (or based on the heat you prefer.)
Coriander powder and Cumin powder - 1 tsp each
Dried fenugreek leaves /Kasuri methi - 1 tps
Method:
Take the cauliflower florets and garlic pods in a bowl. Add all the ingredients under the Tandoor mix to the florets and toss them around well so that the mix coats the entire surface of the florets.
Add yogurt to the florets and toss around so that it forms a creamy coating on the florets. Add salt only towards the end just before you add the florets to the pan. (Adding salt ahead will let water out and make the marinade very watery)
This method uses very little oil. The objective is to cook it like in an oven and not fry the florets. Heat the pan and add 1-2 tsp of oil. Once oil is hot add the florets coated in the yogurt marinade to the pan and toss around on high heat. Simmer the heat, cover and cook the florets are 90 percent done. This will take about 8-10 minutes. The florets and marinade will let out some water. Once the florets are almost done as mentioned in the previous steps, keep the flame on high. This will first remove all the excess water, and then proceed to give a nice char or burnt flavor to the florets. Keep the florets on High flame for 4-5 minutes turning them occasionally giving them a nice char on all sides.
Take it off the flame, garnish and serve. This is a quick fix tandoori Gobi and goes great as a starter for your party or just for your self(in my case!). You can also use it as a filling for a desi style wrap instead of meat for you meatless mondays. These are easy to make and can be refrigerated for later.
Anyhow, Cauliflower came back into my life and with that, lots of happiness. Me and sis loved cauliflower like no other vegetable and that made mother's life easier. Not that she had much trouble getting me to eat anything, plus she is a spectacular cook.
Until recently I have used cauliflower only in a dry subzi / curry made north Indian or south Indian style. I have started exploring adding more flavors and combinations to cauliflower but that post is for another day. Today's recipe is about a simple humble cauliflower Tandoori, but instead of making it in a tandoor or oven, we are going to make it in a pan or Tawa. The whole process takes under 30 minutes and the flavor is just like the gobi made in the Tandoor and does not use any store bought ready made tandoor mix.
(Tandoor is a clay oven that is used for cooking or baking meats, kebabs, grills as well as breads)
Ingredients
Cauliflower florets - from one cauliflower head
Yogurt /Thick Curd - 1 cup
Garlic pots - 3 or 4
Oil - 1-2 tsp
Salt to taste
For the Tandoor mix:
Turmeric powder - 1 Tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp (or based on the heat you prefer.)
Coriander powder and Cumin powder - 1 tsp each
Dried fenugreek leaves /Kasuri methi - 1 tps
Method:
Take the cauliflower florets and garlic pods in a bowl. Add all the ingredients under the Tandoor mix to the florets and toss them around well so that the mix coats the entire surface of the florets.
Add yogurt to the florets and toss around so that it forms a creamy coating on the florets. Add salt only towards the end just before you add the florets to the pan. (Adding salt ahead will let water out and make the marinade very watery)
This method uses very little oil. The objective is to cook it like in an oven and not fry the florets. Heat the pan and add 1-2 tsp of oil. Once oil is hot add the florets coated in the yogurt marinade to the pan and toss around on high heat. Simmer the heat, cover and cook the florets are 90 percent done. This will take about 8-10 minutes. The florets and marinade will let out some water. Once the florets are almost done as mentioned in the previous steps, keep the flame on high. This will first remove all the excess water, and then proceed to give a nice char or burnt flavor to the florets. Keep the florets on High flame for 4-5 minutes turning them occasionally giving them a nice char on all sides.
Take it off the flame, garnish and serve. This is a quick fix tandoori Gobi and goes great as a starter for your party or just for your self(in my case!). You can also use it as a filling for a desi style wrap instead of meat for you meatless mondays. These are easy to make and can be refrigerated for later.
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