Love & Lentil

Sep 5, 2011

Gobi 65

What is the one food that comes to your mind immediately when you think of restaurant favorites? Think about it - what is it that you order every time you walk into your favorite restaurant? Or you've have had like a million times already but still look forward to it? Or like me, you've had a million times already but can't have it anymore since you moved out of the place?

That's what happened to me. This dish here Gobi 65 used to be on my 'always order' list - whether I eat it or take out from a restaurant in Salem called Argees. And then, they have a way to pack this when ordering take out. The fried Gobi 65 pieces are first packed in green banana leaves. And covered with newspaper. And then another layer of leaves around it with crisp onions, bell peppers and green chillies and a slice of lemon. Everytime I opened that package, I was assured of a wonderful dinner in front of the tv! And boy, do I used to love those?

So when the free spirit bloggers put up their theme this time - restaurant favorites - this came to my mind immediately. Actually the theme was main course - but I've just been craving this so much. So Siri - I hope you won't mind that I cooked up an appetizer. Trust me, I've eaten more of this than the main course..so that might make this qualify!

I made a whole big batch of this for a potluck party with our friends. So, the final pictures are not that great - they were taken using my IPhone. So, please excuse that. I just could not wait to dig in, you see!

Wash and cut a cauliflower into long pieces. Leave a little of the stalks so that you have sticks to pick on while eating.

In a bowl, add 1 cup of maida.

To that, add 1/2 cup of corn flour.

Finally add about 2 heaped tsps of rice flour.

Now comes the fun seasonings. Throw in all of these -

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1-2 tsps red chilli powder (the more spicier, the tastier!)
Salt - to taste

And for a kicker - 1 big spoon of ginger garlic paste. Or you can also add fresh finely chopped garlic and ginger. These really do add a ton of flavor.

And yes, a few drops of red food color. If you want it the restaurant way, that is.

Add a little water about 1/2 cup, a little at a time and mix well to make a thick smooth paste.

Now, if you want to make this more in an Indo-Chinese way, you can add a little bit of soy sauce and vinegar.

Dip the cauliflower pieces and deep fry in hot oil. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

It seemed like there were a lot more pieces - don't know where a few went.

In a pan, saute some long cut onions and bell peppers individually till crisp. Add a pinch of salt to the veggies while frying those up.

Fry a few pieces of green chillies too and add to this.

Just before serving, mix all the crisp sauteed veggies with the Gobi 65 and mix well. Add 1 tsp of chat masala and mix well. Add in a couple of cut lemon wedges on top.

And the only thing left now is to dig in and enjoy. This was well loved by all my friends and a few folks were happy that there is an easy veggie alternative to Chicken 65.