Broccoli Ke Pakode - Broccoli Fritters

On a dull, gloomy and rainy day what's the first thing which comes to your mind,especially if you are a foodie like me - Garma garam pakode(piping hot fritters) with a cup of hot and steaming adrak wali chai (ginger tea). Made these Broccoli fritters and cardamom and ginger tea to make this dull day into somewhat of a happy day.

Ingredients :

• 1 1/2 cups Besan/chickpea flour/gram flour 
• 2  1/2 cups broccoli florets (about 20 florets)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 
• 1 tsp red chilli powder 
• 1/2 tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder) 
• 1 tsp cumin-coriander powder 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (optional) 
• salt to taste 
• 1/2 to about 3/4 cup water 
• Oil for frying 

Preparation:

• Heat oil in a frying pan/ kadai . Make sure there's enough oil to deep fry these pakoras/pakode/fritters. 
• In a bowl mix all the above ingredients except broccoli and Oil. Mix it well making sure there are no lumps. Start by adding only 1/2 cup water. You are looking for a thick consistency so that the batter gets evenly coated onto the broccoli florets. Now add the broccoli. Mix it well. Adjust the salt. (If you think the batter its too thick feel free to add just a little water maybe 1 tbsp at a time is a good idea).  
• To check for oil to be at the right frying temperature .For this take a small piece of bread or maybe a drop of this batter and carefully drop into the oil. If it touches the surface and rises up very quickly, the oil is too hot. Reduce the heat and wait for the oil to get to a lower temperature(heat). If the bread/batter is still at the surface and takes too much time to float then the oil is not hot enough.Increase the heat and do the temperature check again ( I know it sounds a bit primitive , but believe me it works.) Ideally I would say if the bread crumb touches the surface and comes up in about 20-30 seconds, its at the right temperature. 
• Now very carefully drop a spoonful of this fritter batter into the oil, one a at time. Do not over crowd, Add about 4-5 fritters/pakode at a time. Fry till they are a beautiful golden brown color. Use a slotted spoon to remove them and place it on a plate covered with about 2 layers of paper towels to absorb all the excess oil. Repeat this process until done.
• Serve these piping hot Broccoli ke Pakode /Broccoli fritters with mint and Cilantro chutney or ketchup. It goes well with steaming hot cup of ginger and cardamom tea. This recipe serves 4(or not ) and you get about 20 medium size fritters.

Gobi Manchurian- Cauliflower Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian 

Gobi Manchurian 

Gobi Manchurian is a very popular Indo-chinese dish. It could be served as a starter or a side dish. I prefer mine with vegetable fried rice.

Ingredients:

For the Manchurian/Cauliflower fritters

• 1/2 lb cauliflower cut into florets
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• about 1/2 cup water
• oil for deep frying

For the Manchurian Sauce

• 1 1/2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 -3 green chillies chopped
• 1/4 cup spring onions chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp red chili sauce
• 2 tsp vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• salt to taste
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water

Preparation :

• Mix flour, Corn starch, salt, red chili powder and make a batter with water. Add the Gobi/Cauliflower florets and mix well. Deep fry. Keep aside.
• For the Sauce- Heat oil in a pan. Stir fry the garlic paste and the whites of the spring onions(the green is reserved for the garnish) for about a minute. Add the green chillies, soy sauce, red chili sauce, vinegar, tomato ketchup on low flame. Stir. Add water and bring to boil. Add the corn starch paste and stir continuously. Adjust the salt. Just when the sauce thickens, add the greens of the spring onions and the Manchurian/fritters. Mix it well.
• Your Gobi Manchurian is ready to serve.
• This recipe serves 4.