Air Fryer Malai Broccoli Recipe

Malai Broccoli is a modern-day fusion Indian dish. In recent years, malai broccoli tikka has started appearing on the vegetarian menu of many popular Indian restaurants. The dish got its name because of the white, cream-like marinade called malai in Hindi. This delicious, rich, creamy white marinade differs from the bold paneer tikka or gobi tikka marinade. And it is the main reason for the popularity of the malai broccoli tikka. More Reasons to LOVE Malai Broccoli

gluten-freeeasy to makeair fryer friendlytasty vegetarian appetizera delicious way to eat broccolisubtle hint and aroma of spices

Ingredients Required

Broccoli – you can use fresh or frozen florets. I highly recommend using fresh broccoli florets for bright green colour and natural taste. Cashew Paste: A smooth blend of cashews, ginger, garlic, green cardamom, and hot water. Yogurt: Use plain, thick Greek yoghurt or curd for the marinade. Cheese: Use grated parmesan, cheddar, or any other cheese for baking you prefer. Seasoning: Cumin Powder, Salt, Black or White Pepper Powder, Granulated White Sugar, Garam Masala, Fresh Coriander Leaves Corn Starch helps thicken the marinade and stick it to the broccoli.

How To Make

Step 1) Soak cashews, ginger, garlic, and cardamom in hot water for 10 minutes. Blend to a smooth paste.
Step 2) Blanch broccoli florets.

Boil salted water in a saucepan. Add broccoli florets. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Transfer them to a colander. Drain all the water. And then, immediately transfer them to a bowl full of ice-cold water. Once again, drain all the water and transfer the broccoli to a colander. Allow it to sit for 15 – 20 minutes to drain all the excess liquid.

Step 3) Prepare marinade by combining cashew paste, yogurt, salt, spices, seasoning, coriander leaves, and cheese. Whisk nicely! Step 4) Add broccoli florets and coat each piece with the marinade. Step 5) Air Fry at 200 degrees Celcius for 15 minutes, turning the malai broccoli halfway through the cooking time.

Serving Suggestion

Malai Broccoli Tikka tastes great with mint chutney or roasted red pepper dip. You can serve it with a dipping sauce, like any other grilled appetizer. Broccoli Tikka makes an excellent component for vegetarian buddha bowls, salad bowls, or tacos. Or serve it on your mezze platter with other vegetarian snacks and dips.

My Tried & True Tips

You can marinade broccoli without blanching or soaking it in hot water also. I prefer blanching it to get rid of that raw taste. While blanching, do not cook the broccoli for too long in hot water. Quick 1 – 2 minutes are fine to get rid of that rawness. This is a medium spicy malai tikka. You can add red chilli powder, kasuri methi, or green chilli paste to make it a little extra spicy. You can cook malai broccoli in a greased pan over the stovetop or grill it on a BBQ. Malai Broccoli Tikka is best consumed fresh and hot. Because once grilled, after a few hours, its crunchiness is lost.