"Parmesan crisps add intrigue to this traditional dish," says Greg Malouf.
Fried cauliflower with parmesan wafers and tahini yoghurt
Lebanon's dish of fried cauliflower - zahra maqlia - gets a contemporary twist from chef Greg Malouf.
- Serves 6
- 30 mins preparation
- 25 mins cooking plus cooling
Ingredients
- Sunflower or canola oil, for deep-frying
- 1 large (about 1kg) cauliflower, cut into large florets
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds
Parmesan wafers
- 30 gm pine nuts, coarsely chopped
- 30 gm parmesan, grated
- ¼ tsp dry-roasted cumin seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle (see note)
Tahini yoghurt
- 70 gm (¼ cup) hulled tahini
- 340 gm Greek-style yoghurt
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed with a mortar and pestle with 1 tsp sea salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
Method
- 1For wafers, preheat oven to 180°C. Combine ingredients in a bowl. Line a large oven tray with baking paper and sprinkle 2 tsp mixture at a time into 7cm rounds (using an egg ring or pastry cutter if available). Bake until light golden (8-10 minutes), cool briefly on tray (5 minutes), then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 12. Wafers will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
- 2For tahini yoghurt, whisk tahini and yoghurt in a bowl until combined. Stir in garlic mixture and lemon juice, season with salt to taste and chill until needed.
- 3Heat oil to 180°C and deep-fry cauliflower in batches until golden (3-5 minutes). Drain on paper towels and douse with lemon juice.
- 4Spoon tahini yoghurt onto a plate, top with cauliflower, wafers and sesame seeds, season to taste and serve.
Notes
To dry-roast spices, cook in a dry pan, stirring over medium-high heat until fragrant. Cooking time varies.
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