What is Tandoori?
Tandoori Gobi or Grilled Cauliflower is marinated and grilled cauliflower. It is the vegetarian’s way of reaching the acme of foodie nirvana in place of chicken Tandoori. I am a vegetarian and I try to find alternatives to meat dishes. Cauliflower is not in season right now but is available in the supermarkets. To have a change in my regular menu I opted for Tandoori Gobi to make my Sunday dinner special. Tandoori is not the recipe but is the method of cooking in a Tandoor or clay oven over a bed of wood charcoal.
What is a tandoor?
The heat in a tandoor easily reaches 600 degrees F and marinated meats or veggies on long metal skewers are lowered into the oven. Meat or vegetables are cooked in this smoky and exceptionally hot clay pit until they are grilled to precision. The smoky aroma and flavour is the hallmark of Tandoori cuisine.
Marinade for Tandoori Gobi or Grilled Cauliflower
The marinade for any tandoori dish uses yoghurt and it is perfect as it is thick. It envelopes the meat or cauliflower that we are using here and is the best partner for the herbs and spices. The heady aroma is provided by the spices. Tandoori marinades are traditionally flavoured with ginger, garlic, coriander powder, red chilli powder, and garam masala. Garam masala is a blend of roasted and ground cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. These spices give a savoury flavour while the chilli powder adds the spiciness to your tandoori dish.
After you have blended your spices and yoghurt and made a creamy marinade dunk the meat or cauliflower florets into it. Generally, when you marinade meat it should sit in it for several hours to imbibe all the flavours. But cauliflower can be marinated just for an hour as it is parboiled.
Tandoori or Grilled Cauliflower
Your marinated florets are ready to be grilled. Tandoori is cooked at really high temperatures. Nowadays we do not have tandoors in the backyard but your oven or barbeque grill is a close substitute. Heat the oven and only then place the cauliflower to grill. When the edges are getting nicely roasted and a little charred it is time to get the florets out.
Tandoori is Healthy
Generally, everyone is watching their weight and trying to eat healthy and tandoori is a very healthy way of cooking food. The blend of the yoghurt, spices and juices of the main ingredient coupled with the intense heat of the charcoal fire, ensures that all the natural fats of the meat are intact. Due to this, there is minimal need for oil or butter and yet the flavour packs a punch.
You should try out Tandoori Gobi or Grilled Cauliflower to see how it matches up to Tandoori chicken. It was crunchy with the gram flour; the carom seeds make it digestive while the lime gives it a sour kick.
My family loves the Tandoori Chicken I roast and it disappears as fast from the plate.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 persons | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 30 minutes | 60 minutes |
|
|
|
|
The heat in a tandoor easily reaches 600 degrees F and marinated meats or veggies on long metal skewers are lowered into the oven. Meat or vegetables are cooked in this smoky and exceptionally hot clay pit until they are grilled to precision. The smoky aroma and flavour is the hallmark of Tandoori cuisine.
|
- For the Marinade:
- 2 cups Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon chat masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ½ajwain or carom
- 1 teaspoon kasoori methi
- 2 gram tablespoonflour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tsp Black salt to taste
- 1 pinch food colour-Optional
- 1 onion cut into roundels
- 1 sprig Coriander
- 1 tsp chat masala
- Hang the curd in a muslin cloth and let the whey get drained. Grind Ginger-garlic coarsely in a mortar-pestle. If you do not have enough time for the curd to drain naturally then gently squeeze the curd and you will get a thick paste. Meanwhile, wash and chop the cauliflower into medium florets. It is good to have them in one size as it helps in uniform grilling. Boil water with salt and parboil the florets for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the gas and drain the florets and keep aside.
- Mix all the ingredients listed under marinade and add the florets and mix well. Marinate for an hour if you are going to grill it then or else store in the fridge if you want to cook the next day.
- Grilling the Tandoori gobi: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Cover the grill rack with foil and place the cauliflower florets. Brush the florets with a little oil. It is time to grill or bake the cauliflower/Gobi for 25-30 minutes or till they get cooked and the edges turn browned. Once grilled, serve Gobi tikka on a platter. Garnish the tandoori Gobi with coriander leaves and sprinkle some chat masala.
- Serve Tandoori Gobi with mint-coriander-yogurt chutney along with sliced onion and lemon wedges. Relish tandoori Gobi as a starter or with bread, buns or rotis or naan
If you want the smoky flavour of the tandoor then after the Gobi is grilled cover it in a metal cover with burning piece of charcoal.
This is known as the Dhungar technique. Take a piece of charcoal and place it on the gas burner. Rotate it on the flame until it is red hot. Place it in the centre of the dish in a small iron bowl or even a peeled onion and pour a little ghee on it. Arrange the Grilled dish around it and cover it for a couple of minutes. The smoky aroma will waft in the air and give your dish the required tandoori punch.
To make thick yoghurt faster… If you do not have enough time for the curd to drain naturally then gently squeeze the curd and you will get a thick paste.
