tandoori gobi

living with the punjabi family, i have come to know a few things – one how much they love gobi - cauliflower and also, how much they love anything cooked in the tandoor.

ok, i don’t have a tandoor at home, but i can still cook tandoori dishes at home….. and make a great tandoori gobi.

to marinate the cauliflower in this recipe, i have used cashew yogurt. the best part was that no one came to know that the tandoori gobi was made in cashew yogurt.

for curry based gravies and for marination of dishes like tandoori gobi or tandoori aloo, i always use cashew yogurt. i have not yet tried making a punjabi kadhi with cashew yogurt, so can’t say anything on this one. i know i have to post the making of a cashew yogurt, which i will do shortly.

if you are not a vegan, then make this tandoori gobi with yogurt. its a fool proof recipe and you will always thank me for this recipe.

this recipe is a spicy version, so if making for kids or folks who do not like spicy food, just cut down half of the red chili powder and garam masala. i have included both the measurements in the recipe details below.

on a side note, if you love grilled or baked vegetables like we do, then here is a baked cauliflower recipe and tandoori aloo for you.

lets start step by step recipe for making tandoori gobi:

1: we need to use thick yogurt or you have to strain the yogurt. you can use a cheesecloth/muslin and tie the yogurt in it and let the whey drain out from it. this may take 45 mins to 1 hour. or use a fine mesh strainer like i have done.the first step would be to drain the yogurt.

2: chop the cauliflower into medium or large florets and rinse well in water. make sure they are of uniform size.

3: boil water with salt. add the florets and cook for 3-4 minutes. keep them in the hot water for 7-8 minutes more.

4: later drain the florets and keep aside.

5: roast some gram flour/besan in a pan.

6: till it becomes golden brown and starts giving a nutty aroma.

7: lets make the marination now. take the hung or strained yogurt in a bowl and add all the dry spice powders and herbs.

8: mix well and add oil along with the roasted gram flour/besan.

9: stir the besan well so that no lumps are formed.

10: add the cauliflower pieces in the marination and gently coat them with the marination.

11: cover and keep the bowl aside for 1 hour or more. you can also refrigerate the marination and keep it overnight in the fridge. after 1 hour, gently again mix the whole mixture.

12: pre heat an oven to 200 degrees C. on a grilling rack, place the marinated cauliflower. keep a tray or plate below to avoid a messy kitchen surface.

13: place the tray in the oven. i kept the large florets on the rack and the smaller ones on an aluminium foil covered tray below. otherwise also, cover the bottom tray with aluminum foil or brown paper or butter paper so that juices or the marination do not fall on the tray.

14: grill in the oven for 20-25 minutes till the gobi florets are cooked. you can also char them a little if you want. but don’t overcook as they become dry. here are the grilled cauliflower florets. the gobi florets should be tender, juicy and well cooked.

15: serve tandoori gobi hot with some tandoori chutney – mint coriander chutney usually served with tandoori snacks and onion-lemon slices. sprinkle some chaat masala and black salt from above. these tender, spiced and grilled gobi pairs excellently with some bread, buns and naan or tandoori roti. you can also have them plain or as a side dish.

if you are looking for gobi recipes then i suggest you to check punjabi aloo gobi recipe and indo chinese recipe of gobi manchurian.

tandoori gobi recipe details:

tandoori gobi

 

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Prep time

1 hour 30 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

2 hours

 

tandoori gobi – marinated and grilled cauliflower to perfection

Author: dassana

Recipe type: snacks, appetiser

Cuisine: north indian

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

main ingredients:

• 1 medium size cauliflower head

for the marination:

• 21/4 to 21/2 cups cashew yogurt or milk yogurt
• ½ tbsp ginger – garlic paste (approx 1 inch ginger & 2-3 garlic crushed or ground in a mortar-pestle)
• ½ or 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ or 1 tsp garam masala powder or tandoori masala
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• ½ tsp ajwain/carom seeds
• 1 tsp kasoori methi/dry fenugreek leaves
• 2 tbsp besan/gram flour, roasted
• 1 or 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp oil
• black salt or rock salt as required

Instructions

1. hung the curd in a cheese cloth and let the whey get drained.
2. alternatively you could also use a fine mesh sieve to drain the curd
3. let this whole process take about 45 minutes to 1 hour. you don’t want too thick a curd. so 45 mins is fine.
4. meanwhile, rinse and chop the cauliflower florets into medium or large size.
5. try to keep them in one size as its helps in uniform grilling or baking.
6. boil water with salt.
7. add the florets and simmer them for 3-4 minutes.
8. switch off the fire and let the florets be in the hot water for 7-8 minutes
9. drain the florets and keep aside.
10. mix all the ingredients listed under marination.
11. check the seasoning and add more if required.
12. add the florets and mix well.
13. marinate for an hour or two. keep in the fridge if you want to marinate for a longer period of time.
14. preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
15. on a grill rack, place the cauliflower florets.
16. you can also brush them with oil if required.
17. grill or bake the cauliflower for 25-30 minutes or till they get cooked and the edges start to become browned.
18. once grilled, remove from the tray and arrange on serving platter or plate.
19. garnish with coriander leaves and sprinkle some chaat masala.
20. serve with mint-coriander-yogurt chutney along with sliced onion and lemon wedges.
21. you can also sprinkle some lemon juice on the tandoori gobi if you want.
22. enjoy with bread, buns or rotis or naan.

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