This South Indian Cauliflower 65 is one of India’s most popular bar snacks. It is deliciously crispy, a little fiery and very addictive. Ticks all the boxes for a perfect appetiser!

The Origin Story

Legend has it, this dish was “invented” by a restaurant in the South Indian city of Chennai in 1965. Hence the name. This recipe is a great base and works well with boneless skinless thighs, prawns or even boneless white fish. Many internet variations of this South Indian Cauliflower 65 will have you adding a ton of sauces like soy sauce/tomato ketchup. I am here to tell you, none of it is really necessary here. This isn’t an Indo-Chinese dish!

The original dish surely packs a punch and you get this big hit of red chilli, ginger, garlic and a heady aroma of the deep fried curry leaves. The dish that reaches your nose before your table at the bar. You want the cauliflower to really retain crunch when you eat it so the sauce is just a thin tempering/coating.

The addition of tomato paste is a little trick I have adapted over the years – I find that its sweetness balances out the chilli and you get a much nicer result. Also, I typically use dry red Kashmiri chillies which are mild but have a bright colour. Of course if you’re a sucker for a chilli kick, you can easily replace it with a spicier red chilli.

This South Indian Cauliflower 65 is one of those dishes that you make and demolish pretty much straight out of the pan for maximum crunch satisfaction. Tastes best with a cold beer but if you grew up in India like me, only a glass of Old Monk Rum with Coke will do. They will vanish faster than you think, so go for seconds straight away!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

South Indian Cauliflower 65

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Indian, Indo Chinese, South Indian

Author: Rupal Bhatikar

Ingredients

Cauliflower Marinade

500g Cauliflower florets (break into bite size)
4 Kashmiri Chillies (whole)
1.5 tbsp Garlic paste
1.5 tbsp Ginger paste
1/4 tsp Black Peppercorn (toasted and powdered)
1/2 tsp Coriander seeds (toasted and powdered)
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
3 tbsp Yogurt (thick)
1-3 tbsp Water (for blending)
Salt (to taste)

For the Batter & Frying

3 tbsp Besan (chickpea flour)
2 tbsp Potato Starch or Corn Flour
1 tbsp Rice Flour (coarse)
Canola/Vegetable Oil (for deep frying)

For Tempering

1/2 cup Red onion (finely chopped)
15 Curry Leaves
1 Green Chilli (slit in the middle)
1/4 tsp Garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp Ginger (minced)
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tbsp Ghee (or neutral oil)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, salt the cauliflower florets well and set aside for 15-20mins. Get rid of any residual salty water that is collected. Drain on paper towels.
Soak the kashmiri chillies in boiling hot water so they soften. Add them to the blender along with the ginger, garlic and use just enough of the soaking water to get a thick smooth paste.
In a dry fry pan, lightly toast the peppercorn and coriander seeds until fragrant. Pound roughly in a mortar pestle.
Heat the oil for frying to 170°C – you want the oil to be really hot so the cauliflower doesnt get soggy or greasy. In a separate bowl, combine the chickpea flour, potato starch and rice flour.
Combine the cauliflower, chilli/ginger/garlic paste, pepper and coriander seed powder, lemon juice, thick yogurt. Adjust salt if necessary. Once this is ready, you want to fry pretty much straight away so the yogurt doesn't get watery.
Get rid of any excess marinade and coat the cauliflower in the dry batter. Deep fry until you get a nice even colour and you can see that you have a crunchy result. Drain on metal wrack (not paper towels) so you can get rid of excess oil without getting soggy bottoms.
In a pan, heat some ghee. When it melts, add the mustard seeds, green chilli, curry leaf and red onion. When nicely coated, add the miced ginger and garlic. When the raw smell goes away, add the tomato paste. Caramelise it properly so it develops a nice deep colour. Toss in the fried cauliflower and let it coat them nicely. Take off the heat and serve immediately.
Garnish with fresh coriander. A few pickled chillies work wonders too!

For other delicious recipes from the blog, click here. If you make this recipe and love it, let me know in the comments below. When sharing on Instagram, tag me @rupalbhatikar.