Curried Cauliflower Fritters
I stumbled upon an episode of his show, Jamie at Home, the other day and decided to give this dish a try with some of my own twists. The photo doesn’t quite do it justice, but trust me, this recipe transforms everyday cauliflower into something exotic and heavenly.
These fritters combine some contrasting textures. The outside is crunchy and crispy. The inside is tender and juicy. It’s important to serve this hot. Nick and I had our fingers on the first batch while the second batch is still in the pot. It also makes a world of difference to add that spritz of fresh lemon juice at the end. The citrus really cuts through the grease and enhances the spices.
The fun in this dish is in its batter, which is flavored with curry power and smoked paprika. You can experiment with other spices. Some red pepper flakes may be nice.
Just like a tempura batter, you can use it to coat any other ingredients that strike your fancy. Some cod or prawns could be good. String beans or asparagus will work too. Just make sure you pat the ingredients dry and coat them with some flour, so the batter will stick.
I hope you will think of this recipe next time you have some cauliflower on hand. Maybe you will even check out an episode of Oliver’s show. Did I mention he also has the just-rolled-out-of-bed messy hair? And a charming British accent?
Curried Cauliflower Fritters
Adapted from Jamie at Home
- Cauliflower, 1 medium head
- All-purpose flour, 1/3 cup
- Vegetable oil, enough to fill up a deep saucepan to about 4 inches high
- Lemon, 1 medium, cut into wedges
- Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling, can be substituted with regular salt
For Batter:
- Self-rising flour, 1 3/4 cups, or 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of salt
- Curry powder, 2 tablespoons
- Smoked paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons
- Salt, 2 teaspoon
- Beer, 1 330-ml bottle
Trim the bottom of the cauliflower and cut the head into quarters. Cut each quarter into 1/2-inch slices. It’s okay if some of the florets fall off. Wash the cauliflower, drain it and pat dry with kitchen towels. Place the cauliflower pieces in a bowl and dust with the flour to coat.
Mix all the ingredients for the batter in a bowl. It should have the consistency of whipping cream–not dense like a cake batter, but still thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It is okay if there are small lumps.
Pour the oil into a deep saucepan and heat it to 350 degrees F. If you don’t have a thermometer, just drop a bit of the batter into the oil. When it floats to the surface and starts to sizzle, the oil is at the right temperature.
Shake any excess flour off the cauliflower. One by one, dip the pieces into the beer batter, then carefully place them in the hot oil, moving them away from you as you do so. Make sure you stand back so you don’t get splashed. It’s best to fry them in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan (but serve them as soon as each batch is ready). Fry the pieces gently, turning them a couple of times with some tongs or long chopsticks. When they’re browned and crisp, in about 4 to 5 minutes, lift them out of the oil, allowing any excess to drip back into the pan, and drain on paper towels. Dust with sea salt and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Help! Where do you find smoked paprika?
Hi Gail! I found my smoked paprika in the spice section of my regular grocery stores (Stater Bros and Vons). If you can’t find it, you can substitute with regular paprika, or a pinch or cayenne pepper, or even some red pepper flakes.