Gobi 65 recipe (Cauliflower 65)

Gobi 65 recipe with step-by-step photos and a video recipe. Originated from Chicken 65, this dish is a popular appetizer or quick snack served at many South Indian restaurants. It is made with deep-fried cauliflower florets (Gobi), flour, and, spices. Pair it up with your favorite dip. Gluten-free recipe.

Gobi 65 (or Cauliflower 65) is the vegetarian version of chicken 65, originating from Hotel Buhari, Chennai, India. The traditional flavor of the curry leaves, added in the end, makes Gobi 65 an aromatic and appetizing dish.

Love cauliflower appetizers? You will also like Gobi Manchurian. It is a deep-fried cauliflower dish from Indo-Chinese cuisine, stir-fried in sauces.

About this recipe

In this recipe post, I am sharing how to make Restaurant-style Gobi 65. It is also known as Cauliflower 65 fry. It is a popular snack served in many South Indian restaurants and street stalls.

"Gobi" is the Indian term for "Cauliflower". This fried cauliflower snack has all the delectable flavors and is spicy.

It is made with cauliflower florets marinated with spices, coated with a batter, and then deep-fried to make Gobi 65. You can serve it as a starter or snack. Or serve as a side dish with rice and dal.

Maida or all-purpose flour is used as a binding agent to make this recipe. I have substituted it with gram flour to make it gluten-free. Also, gram flour gives a nice flavor to it.

Also, I have skipped the tempering part. Stir-frying it with yogurt makes it a little soggy. This is a Gobi 65 dry recipe.

I have included all the tips in this recipe post so that you can make restaurant-style Gobi 65 easily at home.

You may also like these other popular appetizer recipes from this website

• Gobi Manchurian
• Crispy Potato Nuggets
• Momos
• Verki Puri
• Corn Fritters
• Chana Dal Vada

Why You Need This Recipe

• Easy step-by-step instructions with a recipe video.
• Quick & easy to make - Just toss the blanched cauliflower with other ingredients & deep fry it. You can make it within 30 minutes.
• This recipe is easy to customize. Check out the ingredient list below for alternative ingredients. You can add or skip the ingredients as per your taste.
• Balanced flavor - This recipe is not too spicy. You can adjust the spices as per your taste by increasing or decreasing the spices. This is the dish that your whole family can enjoy including the kids.
• Gluten-free
• Vegan

Ingredients and Substitutions

1. Fresh Gobi (Cauliflower)
2. Spice powders - Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder & black pepper powder. Kashmiri red chili powder gives it a bright red color. However, you can skip it & use normal red chili powder too. But the spiciness of red chili powder differs. So add it according to the spiciness of red chilies.
3. Flavoring - Ginger garlic paste, salt & lemon juice.
4. Fresh herbs - Coriander leaves & curry leaves. Curry leaves are a must. It gives this dish an authentic Gobi 65 flavor.
5. Flour - Rice flour, gram flour & cornflour. You can substitute gram flour with all-purpose flour (Maida). But remember gram flour makes this recipe gluten-free but with all-purpose flour, it will not be a gluten-free recipe. Do not skip the addition of rice flour. Rice flour makes Gobi 65 crispy.
6. Green chilies - It is optional. If you do not prefer spicy then you can skip it. There is no big effect on taste. However, in restaurant style Gobi 65, they garnish the dish with fried green chilies.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

Step-by-step instructions with photos

Preparations:

1. Cut the cauliflower florets & rinse them under tap water.

Blanching the Gobi/Cauliflower

1. Boil water in a vessel at high heat. Add salt.
2. When the water boils, add cauliflower florets (Gobi).
3. Cook for 2 minutes & remove from heat.
4. Drain the gobi florets into a colander & keep it aside. Make sure all the excess water is drained off completely.

   

Marinating the cauliflower florets

1. Transfer the gobi florets to a mixing bowl.
2. Add turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala powder, salt to taste, crushed black pepper, chopped coriander leaves, chopped curry leaves & lemon juice.
3. Now mix it gently. Make sure all the florets are covered well with the spices.
4. Sprinkle rice flour, cornflour & besan (gram flour) over it.
5. Add water little by little (1-2 tablespoon at a time).
6. Mix until the florets are coated well with the flour. Be careful, do not add more water.

   

Frying the Gobi 65

1. In a heavy bottom pan, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Start frying the Gobi florets in batches.
3. Let it fry for a minute undisturbed. Now, stir and fry until it is crisp & golden brown.
4. Before taking it out, add green chilies & curry leaves & fry for one more minute. This step is important. The aroma of fresh curry leaves & green chilies is absorbed by the gobi.
5. Remove the fried Gobi on a kitchen tissue.
6. Add the next batch of Gobi to fry. Repeat the same process of adding curry leaves and green chilies in the end, before taking them out.
7. Cauliflower 65 is ready to serve. Serve hot & enjoy!

Tips to make Crispy Gobi 65

1. Fresh cauliflower gives the best results.
2. Cut the cauliflower into medium-size florets. It should not be too small or too big.
3. Make sure the size is even. If the size is uneven then some florets will cook faster & others will take time.
4. Blanch the cauliflower florets before deep-frying it. It reduces the cooking time for the Gobi.
5. Marinate the gobi florets in spices first & then coat it with the flour. Spices are well absorbed by the Gobi. It enhances the taste of Gobi fry.
6. On the other hand, if you add the spices in the flour to make the batter & then coat the florets in the batter, the taste differs. The outer cover will be spicy but the gobi will be tasteless.
7. Fry the Gobi in medium hot oil. The gobi gets partially cooked when we blanch it so no need to cook it for a long time.
8. The addition of rice flour & cornflour makes the cauliflower 65 crispy.
9. Curry leaves give this dish its authentic taste & aroma. Do not skip adding it.

Recipe FAQs

Serving Suggestions

• Tastes best when served warm. After some time fried Gobi will lose its crispiness.
• Honestly, this dish is packed up with amazing flavors and does not need any side dish. However, you can serve it with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.

Storage Suggestions

• It is better to serve it immediately. The Gobi will not be crispy after some time.
• You can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for 2 days. Warm it in the microwave and serve.

Variations that you can try

• You can make paneer 65, mushroom 65, or aloo 65 using the same recipe.
• If you are non-vegetarian then make it with chicken.

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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