Gobhi Kalia

Agar firdous baroye zameen ast, hami asto, hami asto hami ast – Amir-e-Khusru Dehluvi

(If there is paradise on earth, It is here, it is here, it is here)

Kashmir, not only it is a heaven on earth, but it has heavenly food as well. The special flavor that the cuisine has is unbeatable. You get that punch in every bite and each flavor unfolds itself in layers.

I so wish to visit Kashmir once in my life and absorb the heavenly beauty inside me. It is one of my thousand desires. The snow, the peaks, the flowers, the dal lake, the shikara, the beautiful people, the folk songs, the traditional food, the food, the firan, the jewelry, I can go on and on. But, I will not go further writing the intro to this blog or I will start writing about Kashmir and its impeccable beauty instead of Gobhi Kalia. This dish is my ode to Kashmir and my desire to see the beauty hidden there. So, here I go with the recipe for Kashmiri Gobhi Kalia.

Ingredients

• Cauliflower – approx. 500 gms (broken into big florets)
• Star Anise powder – 1 tsp or 1 star
• Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp or 1 inch stick
• Dried Ginger powder (saunth) – 1 tsp
• Cumin powder – 1 tsp
• Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
• Fennel powder – 1 tbsp
• Turmeric – ½ tsp
• Crushed black pepper – ½ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Yogurt – 1 cup
• Milk – enough to boil the cauliflower florets
• Oil for deep frying
• Ghee – 2 Tbsp or less if you want to avoid a lot of fat 🙂
• Kasoori methi for garnish

Method

1. In a heavy bottom pan, put milk to boil. Add half the specified quantities of star anise powder, cinnamon powder, dried ginger powder, cumin powder, cardamom powder, fennel powder, turmeric, crushed black pepper, and salt.
2. Add the cauliflower florets, and let them cook in the milk for 5-8 minutes. Make sure they are not fully cooked.
3. In a separate pan or wok, put oil for deep frying.
4. Sieve the florets and set the milk aside, we will use it soon.
5. Deep fry the cauliflower florets till they are golden brown and drain on an absorbent paper.
6. In a small bowl, add yogurt and the remaining spices (except kasoori methi ofcourse). Set aside.
7. Heat ghee in another pan. Add the yogurt mix.
8. Stir the yogurt in one direction only. This is important to avoid yogurt from separating.
9. Add the cauliflower florets and finally add milk. Cover the pan and let it simmer for a couple minutes. You should have a thick gravy like dum aloo.
10. Garnish with kasoori methi and enjoy with naan, roti or parantha.