Gobi pakora recipe: Cauliflower florets are coated in a spice paste, then dipped in a batter and deep-fried till golden. These make a great starter dish for a party or just a tea-time snack to savor in the evening. These are so delicious! Every bite of these will leave you craving for more.
Gobi pakora or Indian cauliflower fritter also called gobi chop is a winter delicacy in India. As winter is the season when fresh cauliflowers are available in abundance in the local markets. This is the time when they taste best.
In-season produce is always welcome at my place. They are not only nutritious but also cheaper.
Serve these cauliflower fritters with tomato ketchup, red chili sauce, or green chutney accompanied by a hot cup of tea.
Some more cauliflower dishes:
Ingredients Needed
- Cauliflower
- For Blanching: Salt and water
- Spices: Ginger, garlic, green chili, cumin seeds, or cumin powder.
- For the batter: Gram flour, rice flour, turmeric powder, red chili powder, ajwain, asafoetida(hing), salt, baking soda, and water.
- Oil: for deep frying
- For serving: Black salt
How to make Indian Cauliflower fritters
Making these gobi chops are easy. They won’t take much of your time to prepare. The recipe starts with blanching the florets, followed by marinating with a spice paste. Then dipping in a gram flour batter and deep-frying until golden.
Marinating the florets with spice paste enhances the taste of the pakoras. But if you have a shortage of time, skip the marinating step and add the spice paste directly in the batter and mix well. Then dip the florets in the batter and deep fry.
Few Tips and Variations
- Blanch the florets first. Don’t skip this step or the pakora won’t taste good.
- The batter has to be slightly thick.
- Adjust chili as per your taste buds. You can even skip adding chili if making these for children.
- Garam masala can also be used for flavor.
- Always serve hot as the cauliflower pakora starts to lose its crispness once cooled down.
- Black salt can be substituted with chaat masala powder.
Few more fritters recipes:
If you try this recipe, please leave a feedback and rating. You can also tag me @spoonofflavor on Instagram.
Gobi Pakora Recipe | Gobi Chop
INGREDIENTS ( 1 CUP = 250 ML )
To blanch
- 1 cauliflower or phool gobi approx 500 gm
- 1 tsp salt
- 4-5 cups water
To marinate
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1/3 tsp green chili paste
- 1 tsp cumin powder
To make the batter
- 2 cups gram flour/besan
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 1/3 tsp ajwain
- 1 pinch of turmeric powder
- 1 pinch of asafoetida or hing
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
Other
- Salt as required
- Water as required
INSTRUCTIONS
For blanching
- Cut the cauliflower into medium size florets. Wash well and set aside.
- Bring the water to boil adding salt in a pan. Once the water starts boiling add all the florets. Cover and cook over a high flame for 3 minutes.
- Transfer to a colander. Drain excess water and set aside.
For marinating
- Add ginger-garlic paste, green chili paste, and cumin powder to the florets. Mix well. Set them aside for 10 minutes.
For making the batter
- Combine all the ingredients written under the batter, except water.
- Add water slowly little by little to make a thick flowing batter. Then whisk well.
For making the phool gobi pakora recipe
- Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil turns hot, dip marinated florets one by one into the batter. Coat well from all sides and add to the hot oil. Deep fry them over a medium flame until golden from all sides. Turn the sides in between and make sure not to overcrowd the pan.
- Follow the same process and deep fry all the remaining florets.
- Phool gobi pakora is ready to serve. Serve hot by sprinkling some black salt.
Stine Mari
What a great way to utilize all those cauliflowers. This looks really delicious and perfect as a party snack or appetizer. Congratulations on your win!
Carina Smith
I’d love to try these, they do look lovely and crisp! A great way to use up cauliflower too!
Amanda
I love cauliflower and frying them in this batter sounds delicious! These will make the perfect little appetizer bites through the holiday season. Thanks for sharing!
Colleen
This looks like a perfect appetizer, so crisp and golden, and perfect for dipping. Thanks for sharing!
Deborah
If I could give it 10 stars, I would. I love Indian food and when it’s vegan, I love it even more. These look incredible. Thanks for sharing.
Jacqui Debono
I made these this evening and they were delicious! Will be making them again when we have people over on the holidays!
Emily
I love cauliflower and this version of gobi pakora is delicious!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
My stomach literally just rumbled looking at the photos. I am pining this to make at a later time. Thanks for the recipe!!
Geetanjali
Thank you, Cathleen 🙂
Ramona
Made these yesterday and my whole family loved them including the kids. They are not fussy kids when coming to eating but what a great way to put in some veggies 😉 great delicious recipe – thank you !
Geetanjali
Hi Ramona! Glad you and your family like this! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
Alena
These are perfect for the winter – so flavorful and comforting!
Geetanjali
Thank you, Alena 🙂
Kari Heron | Chef and Steward
Indian recipes for cauliflower really take a bland vegetable and turn it into something sensational. This recipe does just that.
Jenni LeBaron
I love fried cauliflower but I’ve never had them made into Phool gobi pakora like this before. These sound and look so delicious and I can’t wait to gobble them up!
Nicole
I love cauliflower and this looks like an amazing way to serve it! Love the marinade and batter!
Geetanjali
Thanks Nicole!