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Romanesco Pakora

These little dudes do really well served alongside a curry or as a nice communal starter. Make sure you’ve got some mango chutney and lime pickle at the ready for dunking!

Ingredients

Batter Ingredients

  • 1 clove garlic crushed
  • 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and grated finely
  • 1 teaspoon chilli powder
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ¼ teaspoon asafoetida
  • 130 g chickpea/gram flour
  • 1 tablespoon rice flour
  • ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Frying Ingredients

  • 1 head of romanesco cauliflower cut into medium florets
  • vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Make the Batter

  • Mix all the batter ingredients together in a large bowl with 255ml water. Whisk for a few minutes until no lumps of flour remain.

Fry the Romanesco

  • Place a medium, high-sided saucepan over a medium/low heat and fill with a good few cm of oil.
  • Drop the romanesco into the batter and mix gently to ensure all the cauliflower is completely coated.
  • Test the oil temperature by dropping a ¼ teaspoon batter into the pan. It should bubble and bob to the surface, browning slowly. If the oil is ready, pick up around 3-4 florets of romanseco using a fork and carefully place them into the oil and fry for around a minute or until nicely browned. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, ensure the pakora are flipped during their cooking so they are brown all over.
  • Remove the pakora from the pan and place onto a few layers of kitchen paper to drain. Place another batch of 4 florets into the pan and fry. Repeat until all the florets are cooked.
  • Serve alongside a curry or with a selection of indian chutneys