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Kankankan cauliflower fritters with yoghurt and mayo sauce
Serves 6-8 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 2 medium cauliflowers, cut into bite-sized florets
- sunflower oil, to deep-fry
- 260g gram flour
- 3tbsp kankankan spice mix (see recipe, right)
- 1tsp baking powder
- 330-350ml soda water
For the yoghurt and mayo sauce
- 5tbsp good-quality mayonnaise
- 5tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 5tsp kankankan spice mix (see recipe, right), plus extra to dust
Kankankan spice mix
- 6 strands grains of selim (Guinea pepper)
- 3 calabash (African) nutmeg
- 1 whole alligator pepper, pod and seeds ground, or 1tbsp
- ground black cardamom
- 1tbsp smoked Scotch bonnet chilli flakes (or powder)
- 100g spiced peanuts (see recipe, right), chopped
- 21⁄2tbsp ground ginger
- 2tbsp garlic powder
- 2tbsp onion powder
- 3tbsp smoked paprika
- 1tsp salt
Spiced peanuts
- 1tsp ground allspice
- 1tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1tsp ground coriander
- 1tsp ground ginger
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4tsp chilli powder
- 1tsp salt
- 1tbsp peanut oil
- 400g unsalted skinless peanuts
Method
Put the cauliflower florets in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over to cover. Let the florets sit for 10 minutes, then drain, pat dry with kitchen paper and set aside.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce, put the mayonnaise, yoghurt and spice mix in a bowl, mix thoroughly, taste and season with salt and pepper.
Half-fill (but no more) a wok or large, deep, heavy-based pan with oil and heat. Meanwhile, mix the gram flour, spice mix and baking powder in a bowl and whisk in the soda water, a little at a time, until you have the consistency of pancake batter – you may not need all the soda water. Add the dried cauliflower florets to the batter and gently coat.
To test if the oil is hot enough, drop some of the batter into it – it should sizzle and turn brown in 20 seconds. Working in batches, add the battered florets to the oil and fry for 8–10 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Remove using a slotted spoon, drain on a baking sheet lined with kitchen paper and keep warm until all the fritters are cooked.
Serve the fritters with the sauce, dusted with extra kankankan spice mix.
Kankankan spice mix
Using a coffee or spice grinder, grind the grains of selim, calabash nutmeg, alligator pepper or black cardamom and Scotch bonnet chilli flakes to a powder and add to a frying pan. Add the spiced peanuts and the remaining ingredients, apart from the salt, to the grinder and grind again briefly without over- processing. Add to the frying pan along with the salt and stir everything together well.
Heat the pan over a medium heat and, using a wooden spoon, toss the spice mixture in the pan for around 5 minutes or until you can smell the aroma. Be careful not to let the spices burn. Turn off the heat, set aside and leave to cool.
Spiced peanuts
Preheat the oven to 170C/ 150C F/Gas 3. Mix all the spices and salt in a bowl with the oil, then stir in the peanuts and mix until the nuts are well coated.
Spread the nuts in a single layer over a baking sheet and bake for 20–25 minutes, keeping a close eye on the peanuts to ensure they don’t burn. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Store in a clean, sealed jar in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months.
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