Ingredients:
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2/3 cup panko
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon Indian chili powder
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with foil.

Place the cauliflower in a small bowl. Pour the beaten eggs over the cauliflower and toss to thoroughly coat. Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the panko and spices. Dredge the cauliflower in the panko mixture and arrange in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until crisp.

My thoughts:

I got this neat Indian spice kit and while I’ve used it to make some traditional South Indian recipes, I thought it would be fun to make sort of a fusion dish. Cauliflower is used in a lot of Indian cooking and the “popcorn” craze continues on here in American cooking. If you can have popcorn shrimp and popcorn chicken than why not popcorn cauliflower? I actually like cauliflower a lot. I’ve seen it in some truly scary looking recipes claiming to be cauliflower “pizza crust” or “taco shells” but I like recipes that make the most of its hardy texture and mild flavor yet don’t pretend it is suddenly a grain. This does exactly that. The bites stay crisp and since cauliflower is pretty firm, the crumbs and spices adhere nicely. Just a warning, it is pretty spicy! If you are spice-adverse, greatly decrease the amount of spices called for and keep all of the other ingredients the same.