Cauliflower 65

Cauliflower 65 is commonly called Gobi 65 wherein gobi refers to cauliflower in hindi, It is the vegetarian counterpart of the well-liked chicken 65. Chicken 65 originates from Chennai, India. There are many myths around the 65 part of the name. An imaginative one is that the dish contains 65 chilies! Envisage eating a snack with so many chilies! My daughter loves spicy hot chicken 65, hence the attempt. Normally, I am cautious of buying cauliflower as there are often tiny green worms crawling in the unhealthy ones. Due to the likelihood of these tiny crawlies, the florets have to be soaked in hot turmeric water prior to cooking. Thankfully, today's cauliflower was creepy-crawlie free.

The contents of the crispy munchies are..

Cauliflower - 1 medium

Olive oil, extra virgin - for frying

All-purpose flour - 1/3 cup

Semolina - 2 Tbsp

Carom seeds - 1 tsp

Kashmiri chili powder - 1 tsp

Pepper, freshly crushed - a pinch

Lemon juice - 2 squeezes

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Water - 1/4 cup

The means to the end...

Break off florets from the cauliflower and immerse in hot water with a pinch of turmeric powder. Keep them drenched for about 10 minutes, by which time the water would have cooled. Steam the florets until they are cooked to the core. Wait for them to become tepid.  

In a bowl, make a mixture of the flours, spices, salt, lemon juice and water. Toss the florets in it so that they are completely and utterly blanketed in a reddish orangish splash. 

Heat a flat and wide saucepan. Brush oil and place the florets lightly on the pan. Shallow fry. Flip sides and fry again. When they are entirely done, transfer to a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Dig into them with a dip of tomato ketchup.