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!
