Lasuni Gobi – Fried or Air Fried Cauliflower

Lasuni GobiLasuni Gobi, literally means Garlicky Cauliflower.  However, what you find on the menus of various Indian restaurants is a batter  coated cauliflower tossed in a tomato garlic sauce. The secret ingredient here is tomato ketchup. It is close to cauliflower manchurian.  

Lasuni gobi eliminates the sesame oil and soy sauce.

So, the flavor profile is simple and savory. No crazy secret ingredients involved.

The truth of this is the simple  goodness of crisp batter coated cauliflower. Which is then tossed in a garlic, red pepper, and sweet and tangy sauce.

I have a handful of tweaks to my version.

And I have some options for you.

 

The Batter for Lasuni Gobi

  1. For a softer batter (this absorbs more sauce and gives you that good clingy kind of coating), add in 1/3 cup of all purpose flour.
  2. For a lighter crisper coating especially if you are air frying, use equal parts of corn starch and rice flour.
  3. The batter should be clingy and on the thicker side.

Frying versus Air-Frying

  1. Fry the cauliflower adds 3/4 cup of oil to the mix. The results however are light and crisp.
  2. Air frying gets you fairly good results with minimal oil. You can bake the cauliflower in a very hot oven too.
  3. If you air-fry you avoid quite a bit of mess.
  4. The most noticeable difference is if you serve this right away versus just letting it rest even for 10 minutes. By then sauce softens the coating and the difference is less noticeable.

Lasuni Gobi

My accent on the dish

I made this for a cooking class on Sunday and played around with this a couple more times. I think I hit the jackpot, when I topped this with everything bagel seasoning. It might sound crazy, but the spice adds both color and added flavor to this dish. Try it and you will agree. Also, you can make this with broccoli or do half broccoli and half cauliflower. A great way to add broccoli if you are not necessarily a fan of the vegetable.

Lasuni Gobi

We love cauliflower in all its iterations. Check out the dozens of cauliflower recipes on this site, such as Gobi Fry, Alu Gobi (Slow Cooker Version) and Alu Gobi (Classic Version)

If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot  and Air Fryer Facebook group .

Pick up a copy of my Instant pot cookbook Instant Indian  here, along with The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.

Do not forget to get social with me, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest . And of course, sharing is caring!

Print
Lasuni Gobi – Fried or Air Fried Cauliflower

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Lasuni Gobi – Fried or Air Fried Cauliflower

A fun recipe that is made with just a few ingredients. A wonderful Indian restaurant classic. My recipe includes air fryer instructions as well.

Ingredients

    Cauliflower and Batter
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup rice flour (if you cannot find this you can use AP flour, this will add gluten to the recipe)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • Water to make a batter
  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 cup neutral oil such as canolla oil (if frying)
    • For the sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 6 to 8 scallions, whites and greens separated
  • 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup tomato ketchup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon everything bagel spice

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl mix together the cornstarch and all purpose flour with enough batter to make a thick clingy batter.
  2. Heat the oil in a large heavy bottom pan. Dip the cauliflower into the batter and drop into the pan. Do not over crowd the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes until the cauliflower begins to turn golden, turn and repeat. Drain on paper towels for a few minutes.Work in batches until all the cauliflower is done.
  3. To air-fry, line the basket with parchment paper. Dip cauliflower pieces in the batter and place in a single layer. The batter has to be thick and coat the cauliflower for air frying. Air fry at 475 degrees for 12 minutes, turn and repeat. Continue until all the cauliflower is done.
  4. In a large pan, heat the oil for the sauce and add in the garlic and whole cumin seeds. Cook until the mixture is fragrant and the garlic is gently golden. Add in the scallion whites and cook for another minute.
  5. Add in the ketchup and water and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat. Toss in the cauliflower and stir well. This will absorb the sauce pretty quickly.
  6. Stir in the scallion greens and the everything bagel seasoning. Serve immediately.
https://spicechronicles.com/lasuni-gobi-fried-or-air-fried-cauliflower/

2 Comments

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv badge