Cauliflower Pakoda or Gobi Pakora are crispy and tasty cauliflower fritters. In this North Indian recipe marinated cauliflower florets are coated with savory gram flour batter and deep fried. They make for a wonderful evening vegan snack.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 25 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Appetizers, Snacks
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sized cauliflower ((phool gobi))
  • 2 cups gram flour ((besan))
  • ½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • ½ teaspoon carom seeds ((ajwain))
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper or paprika)
  • ¼ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 pinch asafoetida powder ((hing))
  • 1 pinch turmeric powder ((ground turmeric))
  • 2 to 3 pinch baking soda ((or baking powder) - optional)
  • water (- add as required to make a thick flowing batter)
  • oil (- any high smoking neutral flavored oil or mustard oil for deep frying)
  • rock salt (edible and food grade) (or regular salt as required)
  • 1 teaspoon chaat masala (- to sprinkle from above)
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice (- to be sprinkled, optional)
  • 1 or 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves for garnish ((cilantro))

Method

Preparation

  1. In a pan, Boil enough water with salt.
  2. Break or chop the cauliflower in medium sized florets.
  3. Rinse them well and add them to the boiling water.
  4. Switch off the flame and let the cauliflower florets be immersed in the water for 10 to 12 minutes.
  5. Drain the water from the cauliflower florets. In a pan marinate the cauliflower with red chili powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala powder. Mix very well and keep aside for 8 to 10 minutes.

Making cauliflower pakoda

  1. In another bowl, make a smooth batter with the besan/gram flour, asafoetida, baking soda or baking powder, salt and water.
  2. Next add carom seeds to the batter and mix well.
  3. Heat oil in a kadai or deep fryer. You can use any neutral tasting oil with a high smoking point.
  4. Take each marinated cauliflower and dip in the batter.
  5. Coat each floret evenly with the batter and add them carefully in the medium hot oil.
  6. When one side becomes slightly crisp and the batter firms up then turn over with a slotted spoon and continue to fry the other side.
  7. Fry till the cauliflower fritters are crisp and golden evenly. You will have to turn the pakora a couple of times for even frying.
  8. With a slotted spoon remove the pakoda and drain as much oil as possible. Then keep them on paper towels to remove excess oil.
  9. Serve the cauliflower pakoda hot or warm with any green chutney or sauce, sprinkled with chaat masala, lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. You can also have them with roti or stuff them between bread slices or dinner rolls.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.