Spicy and crispy Gobi 65 recipe is a fried cauliflower appetizer or snack that everyone will love! It’s vegan, and simple to make with my step-by-step photos and recipe. Crunchy and savory Cauliflower 65 is perfect to serve with tomato ketchup, red chili sauce, chutneys, or your favorite condiment to dip.
Why is it called Gobi 65?
Recipes that fall under the “65” category are very popular in Southern India. The first version is Chicken 65, and is believed to have originated at the Hotel Buhari in 1965.
But over the years many other ideas for how the name was created have emerged, like the story that the name comes from 65 chillies used or that each batch included 65 pieces of chicken.
Just as there are different versions of where 65 came from, there are now several variations of the classic recipe.
Table of Contents
This Gobi 65 recipe is a popular vegetarian/vegan variation made with Cauliflower a.k.a Gobi. I have shared a few vegetarian and vegan options that are very tasty, too:
- Paneer 65 (made with Indian cottage cheese)
- Mushroom 65 (featuring button mushrooms)
- Aloo 65 (with the humble potatoes)
About This Fried Cauliflower 65 Snack
Fried snacks with a kick of heat are fantastic to enjoy at the beginning of a meal, between meals, or really anytime! And this gobi 65 recipe is one of my favorite spicy dishes that I could eat throughout the day.
Although they do require a bit of prep work, these delightfully crispy and flavorful fried cauliflower florets are definitely worth the effort.
This rustic fried cauliflower recipe isn’t highly spicy as some other 65 dishes, so the garlic and ginger really come through for great depth of flavor.
Here the florets are marinated in a spicy marinade, prior to frying. This makes the florets absorb the spicy flavors, while keeping them terrifically light and crispy, and lets the spices shine.
How to make Gobi 65 Recipe
Prep Cauliflower
1. First, chop one large cauliflower head into medium-sized florets. You want about 1.5 cups of chopped cauliflower, and smallish pieces tend to fry the best. Rinse the florets very well, dry, and place in a bowl.
2. Now add enough hot water so that the florets are covered. Cover and blanch the cauliflower florets for 15 to 20 minutes. After 15 to 20 minutes drain all the water and set the blanched cauliflower aside.
Note: Blanching cauliflower is an optional step to get rid of any insects or worms in the cauliflower.
Make Chili Garlic Paste
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add ¼ cup of warm or hot water. And 4 dry red chilies (or Kashmiri red chillies), and soak for 15 minutes.
Break or halve the red chillies and remove their seeds prior to soaking.
4. In a small grinder jar or chutney grinder, add 1.5 teaspoons of chopped garlic and 1.5 teaspoons of roughly chopped ginger.
5. Then add the soaked red chilies to the grinder.
6. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or as needed, and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Marinate Cauliflower
7. After the cauliflower has blanched for 15 to 20 minutes, drain the florets well and put them in a mixing bowl or deep pan.
8. Add the red chili paste.
9. Gently mix very well.
10. Then add 6 tablespoons of besan (gram flour or chickpea flour), 4 tablespoons of rice flour and 2 tablespoons of corn starch.
You can add fine corn meal or maize flour (makki ka atta) instead of corn starch for even more crunch, if you like.
11. Now add ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon of red chili powder, ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder and ½ teaspoon of coriander powder.
12. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to brighten and bring the spices together for the gobi 65 marinade.
If you do not have lemon juice, swap with ½ to 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
13. Add ⅓ cup of water.
14. Sprinkle in salt.
15. Use a spatula or spoon to mix together very well. The batter should coat the cauliflower pieces well. Ensure that the batter is not thin or runny or dry or doughy. The cauliflower florets should hold the batter.
Tip 1: If the mixture looks dry, doughy, sprinkle a few tablespoons of water and mix.
Tip 2: If the batter drips from the florets or is runny or thin, add a few tablespoons of gram flour or chickpea flour.
16. Cover the pan and allow the cauliflower to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
Fry Cauliflower
17. Now it is time to lightly fry the marinated and battered cauliflower florets. Heat 7 to 8 tablespoons of preferred frying oil in a kadai or deep skillet. You can add more oil if you prefer.
When the oil becomes medium hot, about 350 degrees to 356 degrees Fahrenheit (175 to 180 degrees Celsius), use a spoon to carefully place the cauliflower florets in the hot oil. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan, so you’ll likely need to work in batches.
18. Fry on one side for a few minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Gently turn the pieces over with a slotted spoon, and continue to fry on the other side.
19. Turn the florets back and forth until evenly fried on all sides.
20. Remove the fried cauliflower florets with a slotted spoon, and place them on kitchen paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Fry the remaining gobi 65 in batches.
The tempering step is optional and you could stop once the cauliflower pieces are fried. Serve these cruncy, crispy cauliflower with any dip or your choice or eat them as is.
But if you prefer some more flavors and spices in your gobi 65, then proceed onto the tempering step below.
Temper Spices
21. Tempering the fried cauliflower with a seasoned hot oil infuses the gobi with spice and wonderful aromatics. To create the base of the tempering mixture, remove all but 2 teaspoons of oil from the skillet. Or opt to use 2 teaspoons of fresh oil.
Turn on medium heat, add ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Then add 2 to 3 dry red chilies (halved and seeds removed). Fry until the dry red chilies change color to a darker reddish shade.
22. Next add ¼ cup of chopped onions (or spring onion whites), 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger and 5 to 6 fresh curry leaves.
Note that you can skip adding onions if you prefer.
23. Stir and saute until the onions turn translucent.
24. Then add salt to taste. To cut the spiciness a bit you can also add a pinch or two of castor sugar, brown sugar or powdered sugar. Mix well.
Make Gobi 65
25. Add the fried cauliflower florets to the pan, and immediately turn off the stovetop heat.
26. Toss and stir to coat the cauliflower with the mixture.
27. Now add 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.
Serving Suggestions
Serve cauliflower 65 hot or warm with sauces, chutneys, and your favorite side dishes. Drizzle some lemon juice while eating. Enjoy!
Coconut Chutney, Coriander Chutney or Mint Chutney or even Tomato Ketchup pair well with gobi 65. You can also serve some Roti or Bread as a side.
FAQs
Cut back on the number of dried red chiles called for in this recipe, and instead only use 1 to 2 chilies for just a bit of heat.
Fried cauliflower does taste best when enjoyed right after being prepared. However, leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 to 2 days. I recommend that you reheat by baking in an oven or toaster for about 5 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees celsius).
This genre of 65 recipes gives best taste, texture and flavor when they are fried and not baked. For health reasons, you can experiment with baking, but make sure that the cauliflower pieces are not half cooked.
More Indian Cauliflower Starters!
Indo Chinese Recipes
Pakora Recipes
Indo Chinese Recipes
Snacks Recipes
Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
Gobi 65 Recipe | Fried Cauliflower Snack
Ingredients
For Blanching
- 350 grams cauliflower (gobi) or 3 cups small to medium cauliflower florets
- hot water as required – for covering gobi florets
For Red Paste
- 4 dry red chilies or Kashmiri red chillies with seeds removed – soaked in ¼ cup hot water
- 1.5 teaspoons chopped garlic or 5 to 6 medium-sized cloves
- 1.5 teaspoons chopped ginger or 1 to 1.5 inches ginger
- 1 to 2 tablespoons water or as required – for blending
Other Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons gram flour (besan) – sub with chickpea flour instead
- 4 tablespoons Rice Flour
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup water or as needed
- salt as required
- 7 to 8 tablespoons oil or as needed
For Tempering
- 2 teaspoons oil or 2 tsp of the fried leftover oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ¼ cup finely chopped onions or spring onion whites or 1 small onion
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger
- 3 to 4 green chilies – slit
- 2 to 3 dry red chilies – broken and seeds removed
- 5 to 6 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
- 1 to 2 pinches salt or add as per taste
- 1 to 2 pinches castor sugar or superfine sugar (finely granulated), brown sugar or powdered sugar; add as per taste (optional)
Instructions
Preparation
- Chop the cauliflower in small pieces. Rinse them very well and keep in a bowl.
- Now add enough hot water so that all the florets are covered. Cover and blanch the florets for 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add ¼ cup warm or hot water and soak 4 dry red chilies in it for 15 minutes.
- In a small grinder jar or chutney grinder, add 1.5 tsp chopped garlic and 1.5 tsp roughly chopped ginger.
- Add the soaked red chilies.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoon water or as needed and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Making Marination
- Drain the cauliflower florets of all the water very well and take them in a mixing bowl or pan.
- Add the red paste. Mix very well.
- Then add gram flour, rice flour and corn starch.
- Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder.
- Also add ½ to 1 tsp lemon juice and ⅓ cup water.
- Next add salt. Combine and mix everything very well. The batter should coat the cauliflower pieces and must not be runny or thin.
- If the mixture looks dry, doughy, sprinkle a few tablespoons of water and mix. If the batter drips from the florets or is runny or thin, add a few tablespoons of gram flour or chickpea flour.
- Cover and allow to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.
Frying Marinated Cauliflower
- Heat oil in a kadai (wok) or a frying pan. When the oil becomes medium hot, use a spoon to carefully place the cauliflower florets in the hot oil. Ensure that you do not overcrowd the pan, so you will have fry in batches.
- The oil should be medium hot at about 350 to 356 degrees Fahrenheit (175 to 180 degrees Celsius).
- Fry one side and when it becomes crisp, turn over with a slotted spoon and fry the other side.
- Fry them evenly, until they are golden and crisp turning them as needed. Fry them in batches.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the fried cauliflower florets and place them on kitchen paper towels to absorb extra oil. Work in batches this way.
Making Tempering
- Now remove the extra oil from the kadai and keep 2 teaspoon oil in it or add fresh 2 teaspoon oil in another pan. Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and crackle them. Then add 2 to 3 dry red chilies. Fry until the dry red chilies change color and become a darker shade of red.
- Next add ¼ cup chopped onions, 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger and 5 to 6 curry leaves.
- Stir and sauté until the onions turn translucent and are softened.
- Then add one to pinches of salt or add as per taste. You can also add a pinch or two of castor sugar. Mix well.
- Add the fried cauliflower florets. Switch off the heat.
- Toss and stir the whole mixture. Add chopped coriander leaves.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve gobi 65 as is or pair with Coconut Chutney, Coriander Chutney or Mint Chutney or even tomato ketchup. You can also serve with some Roti or Bread.
Storage
- Gobi 65 tastes best when eaten right after being prepared. But you can keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 to 2 days.
- While serving later, reheat by baking in an oven for about 5 to 10 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
Gobi 65 recipe from the blog archives was first published on December 2015. It has been updated on December 2024.
Excellent Recipe wow
Thanks Sriram
Amazing taste… Really loved it perfect recipe nd perfect guide for beginners.. plzz keep posting.. we are glad that ur here to teach us .. love all ur recipes I tried out many.. thnx alot..
Welcome Fazila. Glad to know that recipes are helping you.
Hello dassana I try ur recipe everything as am.new to.cook I tried many dishes of urz .. this am.gonna try today ..some.were.gud some.were wrong coz of my mistakes but overall ur site helped me a lot.. whenever I browse for.cooking I always select ur.site to.be first watched thnx keep posting …
Welcome Fazila. Nice to know this. Thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
Superb recipe.. Every 1 loved it.. For a beginner like me it was so useful.. Keep posting.. Thank u ..
thanks vini for this feedback. glad everyone liked the gobi 65 recipe.
Hi
These recipes are so yummy..i enjoy cooking now..I have cooked nearly 10-15 recipes n they were all very tasty.. Thankuu for ur recipes. Helped me a lot after my marriage..
Welcome Shruti. Glad to know that recipes are helping you.
It’s very tasty, thanks for awesome and easy recipe.
thanks madhuri for sharing this feedback.
I like your website very much
Superb! Keep up the good work
thanks padmini.
Just amazing …..i tried an impressed everyone in my family….thankyou so much….your recipes are yummy …..thankyou.
thanks for this feedback. happy cooking.
Dasanna..thank you so much for sharing ur recipes..me and my mom have tried many of ur recipes and they were so delicious..
Iam from kerala but I like north indian flavours. I saw ur page wen I was searching for samosa recipe..from there on I am using only ur recipes..we hav tried many curry recipes, biriyanis, snacks,sweets..all were too good..today made gobi 65 and that too?
Thank you?…please keep sharing recipes..
Preethy
thanks a lot preethy. convey my regards to your mom. its nice to hear when the family cooks together 🙂 happy cooking and sharing 🙂
i will be adding recipes 🙂
Hii
I want the recipe of Gobi rice will u please share it for me
will try to add a recipe.
Had a lovely spicy feast tonight with your palak paneer ,aloo bonda and gobi 65-finger licking good! My sons absolutely loved it and so did I.
Do you think gobi65 can be made using broccoli florets or runner beans?
Also, in so many recipes there are curry leaves , which are difficult if not impossible to get over here. Is there any substitute? I have a packet of powdered curry leaves ,I suppose for medicinal use, but they seem very bitter. Can I use a pinch of these?
Thank you again for the fantastic recipes.
thanks a lot ewa for this feedback. yes you can make gobi 65 with broccoli as well as runner beans. if they are bitter, then avoid. curry leaves are not bitter. the ones we get in india do not have a bitter taste. if ever you get a bunch of curry leaves, then you can dry them in shade. before drying rinse them well. once they become crisp, then powder them and add a pinch o two in the recipes or you can use the dried curry leaves as they are.
Hello,
Looking for some besan recipes, I found your site and although I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet, I must say just the look is absolutely delicious! The photo guide is excellent, the best I’ve ever seen and makes it so much easier for somebody like me (a Pole) to get the idea of the required textures, colours etc. Regrettably, not all ingredients are available here, but so far my humble attempts at cooking Indian dishes( my favourite cuisine!) have yielded very tasty results.
Thank you very much for sharing the wealth of recipes, I’ll definitely be a regular visitor here. All the best!
very pleased to know this ewa thankyou for your kind and encouraging words. surely try recipes and let us know how they were? if you have any recipe request do ask us. god bless you 🙂 and you are always welcome.
Thank you ma’am for such good recipe.. I am just 15 year old and your site has inspired me to cook..In love with your recipes they are so easy to make..Keep up the good work..
very pleased to know this saba 🙂 thankyou so much and god bless you.
super
thankyou lasikjayan 🙂