Fried cauliflower facts for kids
Israeli style fried cauliflower
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| Course | Mezze, street food, sandwich, side dish |
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| Main ingredients | Cauliflower florets, cooking oil |
Fried cauliflower is a yummy dish made by cooking pieces of cauliflower in hot oil. It's a popular food in many parts of the world, especially in the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe.
You can find fried cauliflower served in many ways. Sometimes it's a small appetizer called a mezze, or a side dish with a meal. It can also be put into a sandwich or eaten all by itself! People often add salt, spices, or sauces like tahini (a sesame paste) or strained yogurt to make it even tastier.
This dish has become quite popular in the United States too.
Contents
How to Make Fried Cauliflower
To make fried cauliflower, you start with a fresh cauliflower. The cauliflower is usually broken into smaller pieces called florets. These florets can be raw or already cooked a little.
Then, the florets are cooked in hot oil. There are a few ways to do this:
- They can be fried plain, which makes them very crispy.
- They can be coated in breadcrumbs (this is called breaded).
- They can be dipped in a liquid mixture called batter.
- Sometimes, they are just lightly covered in flour.
The plain fried cauliflower is the crispiest, but it can also be a bit oily. When it's breaded or battered, the inside stays softer and less crispy. After cooking, the cauliflower is taken out of the oil and drained. Then, it's ready to be seasoned with salt, spices, or different sauces.
A Bit of History
People have been frying cauliflower for a long time! Recipes for deep-fried and pan-fried cauliflower can be found in old cookbooks from the 1800s in countries like Germany, Austria, Britain, and the United States. It was often called by its French name, choufleur frit.
Fried Cauliflower Around the World
This simple dish is made in many different ways across the globe, showing how food traditions change from place to place.
France
In French cuisine, fried cauliflower is often served with a tomato sauce. This version is known as fritot de chou-fleur.
India
India has many delicious fried cauliflower dishes.
- Cauliflower pakoras are very popular. These are cauliflower florets dipped in a spiced batter and then fried. Sometimes they are fried twice to make them extra crispy! They are often served with a tomato or peanut chutney.
- In the Punjab region of India, there's a recipe where cauliflower is deep-fried first. Then, it's cooked again with spices and yogurt, which coats the florets in a tasty sauce.
Israel
Fried cauliflower is a very common and loved dish in Israel. It came to Israel with Jewish people who moved there from different parts of the Middle East and other countries.
- At first, it was often eaten as a mezze (a small dish before a main meal) or in salads, often with tahini sauce or strained yogurt.
- Over time, it became a popular street food. You can find it at places that sell falafel, shawarma, and hummus. It's often served inside a pita bread sandwich or as part of a salad bar.
- In Israel, fried cauliflower is usually served plain with just some salt. But you can also add sauces like tahini, amba (a tangy mango sauce), or zhug (a spicy chili sauce).
- A special Sephardic Jewish version is called culupidia frita. It's battered and often served with lemon. Sometimes, the lemon is even simmered with the cauliflower until it soaks up all the flavor.
Italy
An early Italian recipe from 1822 describes how to make fried cauliflower. First, it's partly boiled, then coated in breadcrumbs, and finally fried in oil or lard. This dish is still a part of Italian cuisine today and is even sold as a street food in Sicily.
Levant
In the Levantine cuisine (from countries like Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine), fried cauliflower is called zahra mekleyah. It can be served hot or cold.
- It's often put into a pita bread sandwich, which might be toasted. People often sprinkle it with cumin, salt, and lemon juice. It's also a popular side dish.
- Like in other places, it can be battered or not.
- A common sauce served with it is tarator.
- Some variations include adding curry spices, bell peppers, or a garlic lemon dressing.
- The Syrian version, menazla zahra, is cooked with garlic, ground beef, cilantro, cumin, and salt.
- Fried cauliflower is also an important ingredient in a dish called maqluba. This is a type of rice dish with meat and vegetables cooked together.
United States
You can find fried cauliflower in the United States thanks to the many different cultures that have brought their recipes. Indian, Israeli, Italian, and Levantine versions are all available.
- Israeli-style fried cauliflower is often found at Israeli, kosher, Jewish, and falafel restaurants. Its popularity has grown as more people discover both cauliflower and Israeli food.
- Some chefs in the US have created their own unique versions. For example, some serve it with a white wine dressing, currants, and pine nuts. Others fry a whole head of cauliflower and serve it with a beet tahini sauce, or a sauce made from herbed labneh (a thick yogurt).
See also
In Spanish: Coliflor frita para niños
