Gobi 65 Recipe Fried Cauliflower Snack

Why is it called Gobi 65?

Recipes that fall under the “65” category are very popular in Southern India. The first version is Chicken 65, and is believed to have originated at the Hotel Buhari in 1965. But over the years many other ideas for how the name was created have emerged, like the story that the name comes from 65 chillies used or that each batch included 65 pieces of chicken. Just as there are different versions of where 65 came from, there are now several variations of the classic recipe. This Gobi 65 recipe is a popular vegetarian/vegan variation made with Cauliflower a.k.a Gobi. I have shared a few vegetarian and vegan options that are very tasty, too:

Paneer 65 (made with Indian cottage cheese)Mushroom 65 (featuring button mushrooms)Aloo 65 (with the humble potatoes)

About This Fried Cauliflower 65 Snack

Fried snacks with a kick of heat are fantastic to enjoy at the beginning of a meal, between meals, or really anytime! And this gobi 65 recipe is one of my favorite spicy dishes that I could eat throughout the day. Although they do require a bit of prep work, these delightfully crispy and flavorful fried cauliflower florets are definitely worth the effort. This rustic fried cauliflower recipe isn’t highly spicy as some other 65 dishes, so the garlic and ginger really come through for great depth of flavor. Here the florets are marinated in a spicy marinade, prior to frying. This makes the florets absorb the spicy flavors, while keeping them terrifically light and crispy, and lets the spices shine.

How to make Gobi 65 Recipe

Prep Cauliflower

1. First, chop one large cauliflower head into medium-sized florets. You want about 1.5 cups of chopped cauliflower, and smallish pieces tend to fry the best. Rinse the florets very well, dry, and place in a bowl.
2. Now add enough hot water so that the florets are covered. Cover and blanch the cauliflower florets for 15 to 20 minutes. After 15 to 20 minutes drain all the water and set the blanched cauliflower aside. Note: Blanching cauliflower is an optional step to get rid of any insects or worms in the cauliflower.

Make Chili Garlic Paste

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add ¼ cup of warm or hot water. And 4 dry red chilies (or Kashmiri red chillies), and soak for 15 minutes. Break or halve the red chillies and remove their seeds prior to soaking.
4. In a small grinder jar or chutney grinder, add 1.5 teaspoons of chopped garlic and 1.5 teaspoons of roughly chopped ginger.
5. Then add the soaked red chilies to the grinder.
6. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or as needed, and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Marinate Cauliflower

7. After the cauliflower has blanched for 15 to 20 minutes, drain the florets well and put them in a mixing bowl or deep pan.
8. Add the red chili paste.
9. Gently mix very well.
10. Then add 6 tablespoons of besan (gram flour or chickpea flour), 4 tablespoons of rice flour and 2 tablespoons of corn starch. You can add fine corn meal or maize flour (makki ka atta) instead of corn starch for even more crunch, if you like.
11. Now add ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon of red chili powder, ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder and ½ teaspoon of coriander powder.
12. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to brighten and bring the spices together for the gobi 65 marinade. If you do not have lemon juice, swap with ½ to 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
13. Add ⅓ cup of water.
14. Sprinkle in salt.
15. Use a spatula or spoon to mix together very well. The batter should coat the cauliflower pieces well. Ensure that the batter is not thin or runny or dry or doughy. The cauliflower florets should hold the batter. TIP 1: If the mixture looks dry, doughy, sprinkle a few tablespoons of water and mix. TIP 2: If the batter drips from the florets or is runny or thin, add a few tablespoons of gram flour or chickpea flour.
16. Cover the pan and allow the cauliflower to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.

Fry Cauliflower

17. Now it is time to lightly fry the marinated and battered cauliflower florets. Heat 7 to 8 tablespoons of preferred frying oil in a kadai or deep skillet. You can add more oil if you prefer. When the oil becomes medium hot, about 350 degrees to 356 degrees Fahrenheit (175 to 180 degrees Celsius), use a spoon to carefully place the cauliflower florets in the hot oil. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan, so you’ll likely need to work in batches.
18. Fry on one side for a few minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Gently turn the pieces over with a slotted spoon, and continue to fry on the other side.
19. Turn the florets back and forth until evenly fried on all sides.
20. Remove the fried cauliflower florets with a slotted spoon, and place them on kitchen paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Fry the remaining gobi 65 in batches. The tempering step is optional and you could stop once the cauliflower pieces are fried. Serve these cruncy, crispy cauliflower with any dip or your choice or eat them as is. But if you prefer some more flavors and spices in your gobi 65, then proceed onto the tempering step below.

Tempering

21. Tempering the fried cauliflower with a seasoned hot oil infuses the gobi with spice and wonderful aromatics. To create the base of the tempering mixture, remove all but 2 teaspoons of oil from the skillet. Or opt to use 2 teaspoons of fresh oil. Turn on medium heat, add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Then add 2 to 3 dry red chilies (halved and seeds removed). Fry until the dry red chilies change color to a darker reddish shade.
22. Next add ¼ cup of chopped onions (or spring onion whites), 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger and 5 to 6 fresh curry leaves. Note that you can skip adding onions if you prefer.
23. Stir and saute until the onions turn translucent.
24. Then add salt to taste. To cut the spiciness a bit you can also add a pinch or two of sugar. Mix well.
25. Add the fried cauliflower florets to the pan, and immediately turn off the stovetop heat.
26. Toss and stir to coat the cauliflower with the mixture.
27. Now add 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.

Serving Suggestions

Serve cauliflower 65 hot or warm with sauces, chutneys, and your favorite side dishes. Drizzle some lemon juice while eating. Enjoy! Coconut Chutney, Coriander Chutney or Mint Chutney or even Tomato Ketchup pair well with gobi 65. You can also serve some Roti or Bread as a side. Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Gobi Manchurian (Dry and Gravy) Gobi Pakora (Indian Cauliflower Fritters) Chilli Gobi (Cauliflower Chilli) Tandoori Gobi | Gobi Tikka | Tandoori Cauliflower This gobi 65 recipe from the blog archives first published in December 2015 has been republished and updated on 27 May 2021.

title: “Gobi 65 Recipe Fried Cauliflower Snack " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-03” author: “Wayne Johnson”

Why is it called Gobi 65?

Recipes that fall under the “65” category are very popular in Southern India. The first version is Chicken 65, and is believed to have originated at the Hotel Buhari in 1965. But over the years many other ideas for how the name was created have emerged, like the story that the name comes from 65 chillies used or that each batch included 65 pieces of chicken. Just as there are different versions of where 65 came from, there are now several variations of the classic recipe. This Gobi 65 recipe is a popular vegetarian/vegan variation made with Cauliflower a.k.a Gobi. I have shared a few vegetarian and vegan options that are very tasty, too:

Paneer 65 (made with Indian cottage cheese)Mushroom 65 (featuring button mushrooms)Aloo 65 (with the humble potatoes)

About This Fried Cauliflower 65 Snack

Fried snacks with a kick of heat are fantastic to enjoy at the beginning of a meal, between meals, or really anytime! And this gobi 65 recipe is one of my favorite spicy dishes that I could eat throughout the day. Although they do require a bit of prep work, these delightfully crispy and flavorful fried cauliflower florets are definitely worth the effort. This rustic fried cauliflower recipe isn’t highly spicy as some other 65 dishes, so the garlic and ginger really come through for great depth of flavor. Here the florets are marinated in a spicy marinade, prior to frying. This makes the florets absorb the spicy flavors, while keeping them terrifically light and crispy, and lets the spices shine.

How to make Gobi 65 Recipe

Prep Cauliflower

1. First, chop one large cauliflower head into medium-sized florets. You want about 1.5 cups of chopped cauliflower, and smallish pieces tend to fry the best. Rinse the florets very well, dry, and place in a bowl.
2. Now add enough hot water so that the florets are covered. Cover and blanch the cauliflower florets for 15 to 20 minutes. After 15 to 20 minutes drain all the water and set the blanched cauliflower aside. Note: Blanching cauliflower is an optional step to get rid of any insects or worms in the cauliflower.

Make Chili Garlic Paste

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add ¼ cup of warm or hot water. And 4 dry red chilies (or Kashmiri red chillies), and soak for 15 minutes. Break or halve the red chillies and remove their seeds prior to soaking.
4. In a small grinder jar or chutney grinder, add 1.5 teaspoons of chopped garlic and 1.5 teaspoons of roughly chopped ginger.
5. Then add the soaked red chilies to the grinder.
6. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or as needed, and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Marinate Cauliflower

7. After the cauliflower has blanched for 15 to 20 minutes, drain the florets well and put them in a mixing bowl or deep pan.
8. Add the red chili paste.
9. Gently mix very well.
10. Then add 6 tablespoons of besan (gram flour or chickpea flour), 4 tablespoons of rice flour and 2 tablespoons of corn starch. You can add fine corn meal or maize flour (makki ka atta) instead of corn starch for even more crunch, if you like.
11. Now add ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon of red chili powder, ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder and ½ teaspoon of coriander powder.
12. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to brighten and bring the spices together for the gobi 65 marinade. If you do not have lemon juice, swap with ½ to 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
13. Add ⅓ cup of water.
14. Sprinkle in salt.
15. Use a spatula or spoon to mix together very well. The batter should coat the cauliflower pieces well. Ensure that the batter is not thin or runny or dry or doughy. The cauliflower florets should hold the batter. TIP 1: If the mixture looks dry, doughy, sprinkle a few tablespoons of water and mix. TIP 2: If the batter drips from the florets or is runny or thin, add a few tablespoons of gram flour or chickpea flour.
16. Cover the pan and allow the cauliflower to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.

Fry Cauliflower

17. Now it is time to lightly fry the marinated and battered cauliflower florets. Heat 7 to 8 tablespoons of preferred frying oil in a kadai or deep skillet. You can add more oil if you prefer. When the oil becomes medium hot, about 350 degrees to 356 degrees Fahrenheit (175 to 180 degrees Celsius), use a spoon to carefully place the cauliflower florets in the hot oil. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan, so you’ll likely need to work in batches.
18. Fry on one side for a few minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Gently turn the pieces over with a slotted spoon, and continue to fry on the other side.
19. Turn the florets back and forth until evenly fried on all sides.
20. Remove the fried cauliflower florets with a slotted spoon, and place them on kitchen paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Fry the remaining gobi 65 in batches. The tempering step is optional and you could stop once the cauliflower pieces are fried. Serve these cruncy, crispy cauliflower with any dip or your choice or eat them as is. But if you prefer some more flavors and spices in your gobi 65, then proceed onto the tempering step below.

Tempering

21. Tempering the fried cauliflower with a seasoned hot oil infuses the gobi with spice and wonderful aromatics. To create the base of the tempering mixture, remove all but 2 teaspoons of oil from the skillet. Or opt to use 2 teaspoons of fresh oil. Turn on medium heat, add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Then add 2 to 3 dry red chilies (halved and seeds removed). Fry until the dry red chilies change color to a darker reddish shade.
22. Next add ¼ cup of chopped onions (or spring onion whites), 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger and 5 to 6 fresh curry leaves. Note that you can skip adding onions if you prefer.
23. Stir and saute until the onions turn translucent.
24. Then add salt to taste. To cut the spiciness a bit you can also add a pinch or two of sugar. Mix well.
25. Add the fried cauliflower florets to the pan, and immediately turn off the stovetop heat.
26. Toss and stir to coat the cauliflower with the mixture.
27. Now add 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.

Serving Suggestions

Serve cauliflower 65 hot or warm with sauces, chutneys, and your favorite side dishes. Drizzle some lemon juice while eating. Enjoy! Coconut Chutney, Coriander Chutney or Mint Chutney or even Tomato Ketchup pair well with gobi 65. You can also serve some Roti or Bread as a side. Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Gobi Manchurian (Dry and Gravy) Gobi Pakora (Indian Cauliflower Fritters) Chilli Gobi (Cauliflower Chilli) Tandoori Gobi | Gobi Tikka | Tandoori Cauliflower This gobi 65 recipe from the blog archives first published in December 2015 has been republished and updated on 27 May 2021.