Best Ever Cauliflower Popcorn | Cauliflower Snacks Recipe
Author: Priyanka
Recipe type: Snacks
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients
Cauliflower – 1 head of about 700 gms or about 2 cups of cauliflower florets
Salt – ½ tsp
Panko breadcrumbs – 2 cups
Vegetable oil for deep frying
For dry coating:
Fresh parsley – 2 tbsp, finely chopped (I used curly parsley, but you can use any other herb as well e.g. coriander or oregano)
Garlic powder – ½ tsp
Onion powder – ½ tsp
Freshly crushed black pepper – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Corn flour – 4 tbsp
All-purpose flour – 4 tbsp
For wet batter:
Corn flour – 5 tbsp
All-purpose flour – 5 tbsp
Light soy sauce – 2 tsp
Yogurt – 3 tbsp
Salt – 1 tsp
For spice mix:
Garlic powder - ½ tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Onion powder – ½ tsp
Red chili powder – 1 tsp
Chat masala – 1 tsp
Powder sugar – 1 tsp
Black pepper – ½ tsp
Instructions
Cut the cauliflower head into small florets depending on how big or small you want your cauliflower popcorn to be. Put them into a large saucepan and add about 2 times more water so that all florets remain inside the water.
Add about half a teaspoon of salt to the water and bring it to boil. Let the florets boil in the water for 2 minutes. Then drain the water out and place the florets in a colander for 5 minutes to let the excess water drip off.
Now place the blanched florets in a large bowl and add all the ingredients listed under dry coating. Mix the florets with all the added spices plus flours to coat each one thoroughly. Do not press the florets too hard as they have already become tender.
Once all the florets are nicely coated with dry spices, take them out in another bowl leaving behind the excess dry flour-spice mixture. We will not waste this excess flour but will make the wet batter in this same bowl after taking the florets out.
Now add all the ingredients listed under wet batter to the same bowl with dry flour and add little water at a time to make a smooth batter. Add about ¼ cup of water at a time and whisk the flours thoroughly to make a lump-free batter.
The batter should be of coating consistency – if it’s too thin it won’t stick to the florets, but if it’s too thick it will almost kill the cauliflower florets inside. Is should be of running consistency.
Place the panko breadcrumbs in a plate for coating the cauliflowers.
Take one floret at a time and drop them into the wet batter. Coat the floret with the wet batter thoroughly on all sides, then lift it up & let excess batter drip off, then drop it on the panko breadcrumbs and coat with it all over.
Coat all florets similarly and place them on a plate. If you have time, then chill the coated cauliflower popcorns in refrigerator for an hour; this will help the batter to adhere to florets nicely.
Now heat a deep-frying pan with vegetable oil until medium hot. Then drop the coated cauliflower popcorn one by one into the hot oil and fry them on medium-low heat until they turn golden brown all over. Do not overcrowd the pan, fry them in batches if you need to; otherwise the popcorns won’t be crispy enough.
Once nicely browned, take then out and put on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen towel to soak up excess oil.
Also, while the cauliflower popcorns are being fried, make the sprinkling masala by mixing all the items listed under spice mix and whisk them using a fork.
Once all the cauliflower popcorns are fried, take them in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over them. Toss them lightly to coat with the dry spice mix.
Serve the hot cauliflower popcorn with Buffalo sauce or any other dip of your choice. Enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://www.flavorquotient.com/2019/02/best-ever-cauliflower-popcorn/