Turkish cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Fried Cauliflower

Blanched cauliflower florets deep-fried golden brown in an egg-flour batter, served with cool garlic yogurt.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1 cauliflower (about 900 g)
• 3 eggs
• 120 g flour
• 100 ml water
• 400 g yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic
• 500 ml frying oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper)

Instructions

1. Trim the cauliflower and break into bite-sized florets; crush the garlic with a pinch of salt into a fine paste and stir smooth with the yogurt, then chill.
2. Blanch the florets in boiling salted water for 5–6 min. until soft on the outside but still slightly firm at the core; drain and let dry very well.
3. Whisk the eggs with flour, water, salt and pul biber into a smooth batter that runs off the spoon like thick cream; let swell for 10 min.
4. Heat the frying oil in a deep pot to 175 °C — a drop of batter must rise sizzling immediately.
5. Dip the florets one by one in the batter, let drain and deep-fry in batches for 3–4 min. until golden brown and crisp all over; drain on kitchen paper.
6. Arrange immediately while hot on a platter, salt lightly and serve with the garlic yogurt on the side.