Achari Gobi / Cauliflower in pickling masala

When it comes to veggies cauliflower is something I like to experiment a lot with. I m surprised by the way my eating habits have changed as I used to hate it before and the only cauliflower thing I used to like  was gobi manjurian. But now every week when I go for grocery shopping I pick cauliflower and think of every new way to prepare it. So when I came across this Achari gobi recipe in Playful cooking I  knew what I was going to do with cauliflower next time. And I did make it, not  just once but twice already. The first time when I made it, it was dark so we straight way digged in but second time I planned it ahead and made this a bit early before getting dark.

These days taking food pictures is not that easy especially when  my lil one is a tad bit hungry he gets frustrated and keep on nagging so I  pack my photo session right away, and when is not hungry he wants to help me  in taking pictures, so either way its not easy !!

Recipe source - Playful cooking

Ingredients

Cauliflower - 1 small

For roasting 

Whole redchilly / vattal mulaku - 2 

Fenugreek / Uluva - 1/2 tsp

Nigella / kalonji - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds / jeerakam / jeera  - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds / kaduku  - 1/2 tsp

Lime juice - 2 tbs

For sauce

Cinnamon stick/ Patta  - 1 inch stick 

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Nigella seeds - 1/2 tsp 

Onion   - 1 medium(chopped )

Tomato -2 ( blanched and pureed )

Ginger garlic paste ( inji - veluthulli paste ) - 1 tbs

Kashmiri chilly powder( piriyan mulaku podi )- 1 tbsp

Yogurt / curd/ thayyir  - 2 tbs

Sugar - 1 tsp

Oil 

Salt 

Coriander leaves/ malli ila 

Method

•  In a pan dry roast( without oil ) the ingredients mentioned under roasting to a fine powder.
• Transfer the pickling powder into a bowl and add lime juice to it give it a mix and keep it aside.
• In a wok or a pan add some oil and add cauliflower florets and saute it for 10 minutes on a medium flame adding a pinch of salt until they turn light brown in colour.Transfer into a paper towel and keep it aside.
• In the same pan add some more oil and sputter mustard seeds, thrown in cumin, nigella and fry for a minute or so until  they  leave aroma .
• Add chopped onions and saute until soft and light brown in colour.
• Add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes off.
• Add tomato puree, roasted pickling  powder, chilly powder, salt, sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the cauliflower florets kept aside to the sauce and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Finally add beaten yogurt and cook on a low flame stirring continously for 2-3 minutes.Check the salt and turn off the flame.
• Garnish with some finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice/ roti/chapathi !

Cauliflower kheema / Gobi Kheema

 

 

 

Long time ago while  watching a cookery show in TV, the presenters Hairy bikers were trying to promote the veggies the Brits ignored and I was suprised to see cauliflower among the veggies they were trying to save as they  dont sell well in Britian as people here preferred  Broccoli ,the closest relative of cauliflower over it. In my case eventhough  I  preferred cauliflower over broccoli we too were not  picking up cauliflower often like broccoli and the show really made me think about it and now cauliflower is always there in our weekly shopping bag :) Thanks to the show !

 

Ingredients (Serves 5-6  )
 

Cauliflower - 1 large

Onion - 1 large

Tomatoes - 2  medium

Ginger - garlic paste - 1tbs

Frozen or fresh Green peas - 1/2 cup

Whole garama masala

 Cinnamom stick - 1 inch stick

Cloves - 2 no

Cardamom - 2 nos

Bayleaf - 1

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp

Aniseed - 1

Kashmiri Redchilly powder -1 tbs

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbs

Garam masala powder - 1tsp

Salt

 Coriander leaves

Method

1.Grate the cauliflower and keep aside.

 2.In a wok add some oil/ghee and fry the grated cauliflower for about 10 minutes until it turns light brown colour.

3.In a saucepan add some oil and sputter cumin and fennel seeds and add whole garam masala's and saute for 1-2 minutes.

4.Add finely chopped onions and saute until light brown.

5.Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 1- 2 minutes.

6.Add finely chopped tomatoes,spice powder and cook until tomatoes are mushy.

7.Add frozen green peas and cook for 2-3 minutes.

8.Finally add sauted  cauliflower and cook for 5-10 minutes and garnish with corainder leaves.

Serve with some rice/roti  and dal :)

Gobi Manjurian(Dry version)

Well if you know me I have never been so active in updating my blog this frequently..These days I am so in the mood of cooking something elaborate and the summer has made it easier to click whatever I cook for dinner as we have daylight till 9-9.30 p.m .Cant really call it summer though as this time it rained so badly here and we hardly got hot sunny days :( weather is such an unpredicatable thing in U.K ,will tell u about today...when I left home to pick my boy from nursery it was shining so brightly so I deliberately didnt take my umbrella.After I walked for 1-2 minutes the sky became dark and wind started blowing ..it looked as if its going to rain cats and dogs ! Luckily I reached the nursery before rain and then it started to pour...one of the mum kindly lended me her umbrella and since there was no sign of rain stopping we started walking back home.Even the umbrella couldnt help much as it was too windy ,somehow we reached home,and the moment we reached home the sun was out shining brightly ! Its always like this here ,we cant really trust the sun when we go out .

Coming back to todays post..its a dry version of gobi manjurian,I have posted another version before which is not a dry one,you can find here.

Ingredients
For frying
Cauliflower - 1 medium
Flour/Maida - 8 tbs
Cornflour - 4 tbs
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbs
Salt
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Oil

For sauce
Onion - 1
Minced ginger -garlic - 1 1/2 tbs
Tomato Sauce - 6 -8 tbs
Soya sauce - 2 tbs
Chilly garlic sauce - 4 tbs
Salt
Capsicum/Pepper- 1
Spring onions - 2-3

Method
1. Make a thick batter with flour,cornflour by adding ginger garlic paste ,salt and
pepper by adding little water.
2.Dip the clauliflower florets in the batter and deep fry them until golden brown.
3.Take few tbs of the same oil and saute the chopped onions till soft.
4.Add minced ginger and garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes.
5.Add all the sauces and cook till oil separates.
6.Add whites of spring onions,chopped capsicum and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
7.Finally add the deep fried cauliflower florets and mix them well until it is well coated in the sauce.
8.Garnish with some chopped spring onions.

Cauliflower masala

Last week I was telling all about the awesome weather here,but things have changed,its grey,chilly and miserable now,but atleast the christmas decorations and gifts all around the shops is bringing some postive energy .This time my lil one also knows more about christmas and father christmas,he has already asked for his favourite train for christmas !!
This recipe is from my friend who lives next door,she prepared this for a get together and we all loved it, I also used to make cauliflower masala but my cauliflower always gets bit overcooked,but the one she prepared was crucnhy and perfect,so this time I didnt over do cauliflower and we all loved it.

Ingredients
Cauliflower - 1 small
Carrot - 1
Green peas - 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Onion - 1
Tomato -1
Green chillies -2
Redchilly powder - 1/2 tbs
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbs
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Preparation
In a saucepan add some oil,sputter cumin seeds,add chopped onions and saute till soft. Add ginger garlic paste fry for 1 minute and then throw in chopped tomatoes and all masala powders , green chillies and saute till raw smell of masalas goes. Finally add cauliflower and carrot and when they are half done add green peas and cook .

Gobi manchurian

Ingredients

For Frying

Cauliflower -1 (small)

All pupose flour/Maida -5 tbs

Cornflour-3 tbs

Ginger- garlic paste - 1tbs

Pepper powder- 1/2 tbs

salt

Oil

For Sauce

Onion -1 large

Green pepper Capsicum)chopped - 1/2 cup

Spring onion

Minced Ginger and Garlic -1 tbsp

Green chillies -3
Tomato Sauce -4 tbs

Soya sauce -2 tbs

Redchilly Sauce - 2 tbs

Salt

Cornflour

Water

Preparation

Saute chopped onions in a pan until it becomes soft. Add minced ginger and garlic, chopped green chillies,capsicum and stir for few minutes. Add all the sauces and cook for 1-2 minutes.Dissolve 3-4 tbs of cornflour in 3/4 cup of water and add slowly to the pan.when it starts to thicken turn off the flame.

Make a batter of cornflour and all purpose with water adding pepper,salt and ginger - garlic paste.Dip the cauliflower florets in it and deep fry the florets in oil until cripy and light brown in colour.

Add Fried cauliflower to the sauce and mix well. Cook it covered for 2 minutes.Garnish with spring onions.