Fried cauliflower with blue cheese dip recipe
My mother is not a western-trained chef and when I started to take her to western restaurants to inspire some fusion, this recipe was born.
The concept of a three-course meal is not part of the Tigrinya dining experience. The way we serve food is simply by presenting a banquet of everything and letting you fix yourself a plate, or it is presented on a communal platter with all the selections on it. People are always questioning this, wanting to make the cuisine fit into the eating format they understand. My mother is not a western-trained chef and when I started to take her to western restaurants to inspire some fusion, this recipe was born.
RECIPE: Fried cauliflower and blue cheese dip
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower head
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup rice flour
- 40g plain flour
- 80g shiro powder (optional, see tip)
- Sunflower oil, for deep-frying
Dressing
- 50g blue cheese
- 100g mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Method
- Break the cauliflower into large florets with your fingers, then remove any large stems. Cut the florets into smaller pieces, approximately 2-3cm in size.
- Mix the shiro and salt in a bowl with enough water to make a runny mixture, like a pulpy juice. Mix the rice flour and flour on a tray.
- For the blue cheese dip, mix all the ingredients in a food processor and set aside. Dip the cauliflower florets into the shiro mixture, ensuring the entire floret is dipped.
- Remove and shake gently to remove excess liquid. You want it to be wet enough to hold the flour but not so wet that it turns your tray of flour into dough.
- Roll the cauliflower floret in the flour, tapping it a little to remove excess flour. Let it chill in the fridge for an hour.
- Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a wok. The oil should start to form small bubbles. Put the heat on high and then reduce to medium once the oil is ready.
- Fry the cauliflower until golden brown. You may need to turn it to ensure equal frying on all sides.
- Drain on paper towel to remove any excess oil, then serve with the blue cheese dip.
RECIPE: Homemade shiro powder
Ingredients
- 2kg chickpeas, dried and peeled
- 2kg peeled yellow split peas
- 600g dried chillies
- 100g dried garlic
- 100g dried ginger
- 100g dry onion
- 150g rock salt
- 40g dried basil
- 50g cardamom seeds
- 50g rue seeds
Method
- Roast the chickpeas and yellow split peas in a large, dry non-stick frying pan for 10-15 minutes, or until a nice golden brown colour. Set aside. Separately, roast the spices for 1-2 minutes in a dry frying pan.
- After all the spices have cooled, mix everything together in a big bowl. Use a food processor to grind the mixture in batches to a smooth flour consistency.
- When the whole mixture has been ground, transfer to an airtight container. At room temperature, it can be stored for 4–5 months. If stored in the freezer, it can last up to 1 year.
Tip: You can buy ready-made shiro powder at a habesha grocery or online, or skip this step
This is an edited extract from Tekebash and Saba by Saba Alemayoh (Murdoch, $45).