Gobi Pakora (Indian Cauliflower Fritters)

Cauliflower pakoda or gobi pakora are crispy and tasty cauliflower fritters. Though they are many variations to make gobi pakora, this recipe is a truly delicious one. In this recipe, marinated cauliflower florets are coated with savory gram flour batter and deep fried. They make for a wonderful evening vegan snack.

One more pakora recipe for the monsoon time. Monsoon is one of the best times to enjoy fried food like pakora, chole bhature, tikki, chaat, samosa and so on.

I know many folks don’t like fried foods. If you are calorie conscious or avoiding fried food, then the option is to bake the pakoras, which I have tried but not with successful results.

Since monsoons are in full swing here, I am making a lot of fried snacks these days at home. It is always better to enjoy homemade snacks than to eat outside during the monsoon season.

About Gobi Pakora

The basic technique of making any pakora is more or less the same. So almost the same procedure is used for Aloo pakoda, Onion pakoda or Paneer pakoda and so on.

But in this recipe, I have marinated the gobi before deep-frying them. The idea came to me when I had made Mushroom tikka with besan (gram flour) where the mushrooms were marinated first and then grilled. This marinating cauliflower with various ground spices makes a big difference in the flavor and taste.

After being marinated with the spices, the cauliflower florets are later dipped in the gram flour batter and deep fried. These cauliflower pakora are crisp in taste and should ideally be eaten hot. if you are having them as snacks then pair them with a cup of hot masala chai or coffee.

These pakora can be served as a side dish or even as starters with tomato ketchup or mint chutney or coriander chutney or any green chutney or dipping sauce of your choice.

They can be had plain or with roti or even with bread. I served the cauliflower fritters with dry pomegranate chutney and some roti.

How to make Gobi Pakora

1. Break or chop one cauliflower into medium-sized florets.

2. In a pan, boil enough water with salt.

3. Rinse the cauliflower florets well and then add them to the boiling water. Switch off the heat and let the cauliflower florets be immersed in the water for 10 to 12 minutes. This blanching step is optional and is done to remove any insects or worms if any.

4. Drain the water from the cauliflower florets using a strainer or colander.

5. In a bowl, take the blanched cauliflower florets. Add ½ teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper) and 1 pinch of turmeric powder (ground turmeric).

6. Also add ½ tablespoon ginger-garlic paste and ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder.

7. Mix very well and marinate for 8 to 10 minutes.

Making batter for gobi pakora

8. In another bowl, take 2 cups of besan (gram flour), 1 pinch asafoetida (hing), 2 to 3 pinches of baking soda or baking powder and salt as required.

9. Next add ½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain) to the batter and mix well.

10. Pour water as required. I recommend adding water bit by bit and mixing so that you get the right consistency in the batter.

11. Make a smooth flowing medium consistency batter. The batter should be smooth without any lumps. It should not be runny or too thick.

Frying cauliflower pakoda

12. Heat oil in a kadai or deep fryer or pan. You can use sunflower oil or peanut oil or mustard oil or any neutral oil that has a high smoking temperature.

13. Let the oil become medium hot or having a temperature of 180 to 190 degrees celsius. Then take each marinated cauliflower floret and dip it in the batter.

14. Coat the florets evenly with the batter.

15. Add them carefully to the medium hot oil. Depending on the size of the kadai or pan, you can add less or more pakora while frying.

Make sure that the kadai is not overcrowded and there is some space between the pakora.

16. When the pakora becomes lightly golden and the batter firms up, turn over with a slotted spoon and continue to fry.

You will have to turn them a couple of times for even frying. Fry till the pakoda are crisp and golden evenly. Keep the heat to medium but if needed then regulate the heat as required.

17. Then with a slotted spoon drain as much oil as you can in the pan and remove the golden fried cauliflower fritters. Place them on kitchen paper towels to remove excess oil.

Fry remaining batches of the cauliflower florets in the same way.

18. While serving place the hot gobi pakora in a bowl or plate. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon chaat masala, ½ teaspoon lemon juice and 1 to 2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves evenly all over on the pakoras.

Serve these cauliflower pakoda with any green chutney or mint chutney or cilantro chutney or tomato ketchup.

You can also enjoy them with roti or paratha or bread. They make for a good tea time snack served with tea. You can also sandwich them between bread slices or dinner rolls or make a wrap or place them between burgers.

Few more snacks recipes for you!

• Gobi 65
• Chilli gobi
• Mirchi bajji

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This Gobi Pakora recipe post from the archives (first published in July 2013) has been republished and updated on 18 June 2021.