Cauliflower pakoras

Serves 4

(Jason Lowe)

This is a lovely way to serve cauliflower as a snack with drinks or as a starter or an accompaniment to a curry. You can serve these with a dip like yoghurt and freshly chopped mint or a good mango chutney.

1 small cauliflower, leaves removed and cut down into florets
Vegetable or corn oil for frying

For the batter

A good knob of butter
1tsp ground cumin
tsp ground turmeric
tsp ground coriander
A good pinch of chilli powder
tsp nigela seeds
tsp black mustard seeds
4tbsp Dove's Farm gluten-free self-raising flour
Cold water to mix
1tbsp chopped coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the cauliflower florets in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, keeping them slightly under-cooked, then drain and refresh under the cold tap. Cut into bite-sized pieces and put to one side.

To make the batter, melt the butter in a pan and gently cook all of the spices for a minute over a low heat, then transfer to a bowl, rinsing the pan with a tablespoon of water so none of the spice is wasted. Add the flour to the bowl and mix enough water to make a thickish batter. Season and stir in the coriander.

Preheat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a large thick-bottomed saucepan or electric deep-fat fryer.

Put the cauliflower pieces into the batter and mix well. Cook a few pieces at a time, turning them with a slotted spoon, for 3-4 minutes or until nicely coloured, then remove and drain on some kitchen paper. You can keep them warm in a low oven or just pop them back in the fryer to reheat once you have cooked them all.