Gobi 65, also known as cauliflower 65, is a beloved street food and bar snack from Chennai, South India. This dish features deep-fried cauliflower florets sautéed in a blend of sauces and spices, similar to the American buffalo wings.
This dish is a vegetarian take on the classic bar snack, chicken 65. To make crispy gobi 65, cauliflower florets are marinated, deep-fried, and seasoned in a fiery, tangy, and garlicky sauce. With this tried and tested recipe, you can recreate restaurant-quality gobi 65 at home without deep frying. In this recipe, we use an air fryer instead of deep frying to make it a healthier snack option.
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Why you will love this recipe?
- The fiery and tangy flavors of cauliflower 65 create a burst of deliciousness and leave you wanting more.
- Whether you serve it as an appetizer or snack on game day, or as a side dish with Indian meals, crispy cauliflower 65 is versatile and is perfect for parties and gatherings.
- This dish is ideal for meal preparation and can be frozen, making it a convenient option to enjoy on a busy day.
Why is the Gobi 65 called so?
This is dish a popular take on chicken 65 which originated in Chennai and is served as an appetizer or quick snack. It is believed to have been invented in the Buhari's restaurant and has several theories behind the name - it was invented in the year 1965, it was the 65th item on their menu, it used 65 chili peppers, and so on.
There are also other bizarre theories like the chicken is marinated for 65 days or that it is cut into 65 pieces. Despite what the story behind it is, this dish is hugely popular now, not only in Chennai but across India.
Ingredients
Cauliflower: Use fresh cauliflower with a firm head.
Marination: The cauliflower florets are marinated in rice flour, corn starch, ginger garlic paste, yogurt, curry leaves, garam masala, and red chili powder (or cayenne).
Tempering: We need cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, yogurt, garam masala, green chili peppers, curry leaves, and cilantro.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets. Boil water in a large pot and add ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder. Place the cauliflower in the hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Drain all the water from the cauliflower and set it aside.
Step 3: In a wide bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade - rice flour, corn flour, yogurt, finely chopped curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, chili powder, garam masala powder, oil, and salt.
Step 4: Mix well to form a thick batter. The batter should be almost a paste consistency.
Step 5: Add the blanched cauliflower to the batter.
Step 6: Mix well, making sure the florets are well coated. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
Step 7: Lightly grease the air fryer basket with oil. Place the cauliflower in a single layer.
Step 8: Air fry at 350 F (180 C) for 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower florets are crispy and golden brown. Shake the basket after around 7 minutes.
Step 9: Set aside the crispy and golden brown cauliflower florets.
Step 10: In a small mixing bowl, take yogurt, garam masala, red chilli powder, and salt.
Step 11: Whisk it well making sure there are no lumps. Set it aside.
Step 12: Heat oil in a frying pan or kadhai and add cumin seeds. Once it splutters, add curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Saute for a few seconds.
Step 13: Reduce the heat to low and add the yogurt mixture.
Step 14: Keep stirring for 1-2 minutes, until it thickens.
Step 15: Add the fried gobi to the mixture.
Step 16: Toss on high heat for one minute.
Step 17: Top with cilantro and serve hot.
Useful tips
Make sure the cauliflower you choose has a tight and firm head. The cauliflower florets should be compact and the leaves must be green and crisp. The color of the head should be white or pale cream and it should not have any signs of brown and grey colored spots.
I am making the batter using rice flour and cornstarch, making this dish gluten-free. However, you can also use all-purpose flour (plain flour) and chickpea flour (gram flour).
The consistency of the batter used to marinate the cauliflower is very important to get the crispy texture of the cauliflower. The batter should be thick (like idli batter or thick bajji batter) and should coat the cauliflower well. To check the consistency, scoop out some batter with your hands - it should not be flowy or runny.
To make cauliflower 65 ahead, fry the cauliflower and keep the ingredients of the tadka/tempering ready. Just before serving, make the tadka and toss the fried cauliflower in it.
You can drizzle some lemon juice (or lime juice) just before serving.
More cauliflower recipes:
FAQs
To make cauliflower 65 ahead, fry the cauliflower and keep the ingredients of the tadka/tempering ready. Just before serving, make the tadka and toss the fried cauliflower in it.
You can bake the marinated cauliflower florets in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and bake the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes. Then, prepare the tempering as per this recipe in a frying pan and add the baked cauliflower florets.
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Recipe card
Gobi 65 (Crispy Indian Cauliflower) - Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
For the marination:
- ¼ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 sprig curry leaves finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the tempering:
- 2 tablespoon yogurt
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 inch ginger finely chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 green chilies slit and desseded
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon cilantro
Instructions
Blanch the cauliflower:
- Cut the cauliflower into florets.
- Take 6-7 cups of water in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, turn off the heat.
- Add ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder. Give it a good mix.
- Add the cauliflower and let it sit for 5 minutes. Drain all the water from the cauliflower and set it aside.
Marinate and air fry:
- In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade - rice flour, cornstarch, yogurt, finely chopped curry leaves, ginger garlic paste, chili powder, garam masala powder, oil, and salt.
- Mix well to form a thick batter. The batter should be almost of a paste consistency. If the batter is runny, add one tablespoon of cornstarch. If it is too thick, add one tablespoon of water and mix well.
- Add the blanched cauliflower to the batter and mix well, making sure the florets are well coated. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes (this is optional and can be skipped).
- Lightly grease the air fryer basket with oil. Place the cauliflower in a single layer.
- Air fry at 350 F (180 C) for 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower florets are crispy and golden brown. Shake the basket after around 7 minutes.
Finish with tempering:
- In a small bowl, take yogurt, garam masala, chili powder, and salt. Whisk it well making sure there are no lumps. Set it aside.
- Heat oil in a frying pan or kadhai and add cumin seeds.
- Once it splutters, add curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Saute for a few seconds.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the yogurt mixture. Keep stirring for 1-2 minutes, until it thickens.
- Add the fried gobi and toss on high heat for one minute.
- Top with cilantro and serve hot with tomato ketchup.
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