Would you like to see more middle eastern recipes on chef in disguise?

I posed this question on my facebook page and now I am asking you, my dear readers.

As you may or may not know I live in Jordan, one of the levant countries (countries bordering on the eastern Mediterranean Sea). That is why you may have noticed that I use a lot of olive oil, fresh herbs,vegetables  and spices  in my cooking.

The middle eastern cuisine is rich and diverse and though some recipes like hummus, baklava,shawerma and tabbouleh have become known worldwide, there are still many wonderful recipes worth trying and exploring.

I’m not suggesting that from now on I will only blog about middle eastern food, I am just asking if you would be interested in seeing some more middle eastern recipes here…maybe like once a week or every other week?

These cauliflower fritters are high on my favorite list. I know what you are thinking..cauliflower! you have to be kidding! You were just talking about exciting and refreshing recipes why start with good old boring cauliflower?

Well the answer is simple, this is an example of how a recipe can transform an ingredient from boring to sensational. These fritters hide under their golden crust a feast of flavors. The batter contains mint, parsley, cumin, cardamom, all spice, cinnamon, onions and green onions.. together they form a true symphony of flavors that will cause your taste buds to dance. Don’t believe me?

Try making these, at first you will skeptically try one, pleasantly surprised yet still curious comes another, then another and before you know it the plate will be empty 🙂

Cauliflower fritters

One small head of cauliflower or half a large one

6 eggs

2 tablespoons of powdered milk (optional)

1 punch of parsley (around 1 lightly packed cup)

Handful of mint

one medium onion

one green onion

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon all spice

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup of flour (the amount may vary according to the size of the eggs.You need to add enough flour to get a thick batter)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Cut the cauliflower into flowerets and place them in a pot filled with water, bring them to a boil and cook until you can insert a fork in them (You don’t want to over cook them or they will become soggy and the fritters won’t have texture in them)

Drain,set aside (you can do this a day or two in advance and store them in the fridge)

In the food processor beat the eggs untill pale

Add the mint, parsley, onions (white and green) and pulse untill the herbs and onions are finely chopped.

Add the spices, salt, flour and the powdered milk beat untill combined.

Break your flowerets into small pieces and stir them into the batter

Heat about an inch (2.5 cm) of vegetable oil in a pan.

When the oil is hot drop dollops of 1-2 tablespoon of your cauliflower batter in the hot oil.

Keep your fritters a little apart because they will spread slightly and you don’t want them to fuse together (until you are aiming to make a giant fritter)

using a spoon take some of the oil and pour it on top of the fritters (This will start cooking the tops of the fritters and that prevents them from spreading too much)

When the bottom becomes golden brown flip the fritters and cook them on the other side (as you can see I like mine deep golden brown but feel free to cook them to your desired color)

Serve with a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!

Note as with all fried food you don’t want the oil to be too hot because that will cook the outside of the fritter too quickly and the centers will still be undercooked. Keep the oil on medium high heat and once you flip the fritters lower the heat a little to give them a chance to cook all the way through.