Okay so I didn’t mention in the title that this dish is deep-fried, and yes, I know that deep-frying food isn’t in vogue, but really is there anything better? I think not. Now on it’s own the cauliflower doesn’t really have much taste but with the dip this dish is addictive.
Traditionally the Czech version is with just cauliflower, however I have on many occasion used, broccoli, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, green beans, asparagus and even lemon slices. I give credit to Giada de Laurentiis for the lemons because I saw her deep fry them once on television and just had to try them. They are amazing if you like lemons. At any rate, you can deep-fry just about any vegetable you like.
Cauliflower
Head of cauliflower chopped into nice even sized florets. Steam or microwave them for a couple of minutes just so that they get a bit of a sweat. This makes them a little softer once they are fried and also makes the breading stick better.
Bread them in; flour, egg and then fine breadcrumbs and place in deep fryer until golden brown. I’ve also fried them in a frying pan with an inch of oil, you just have to turn them but it works just as well. Once the cauliflower is a nice golden color serve immediately with the dip.
Dip
- ½ Cup Sour Cream
- ½ Cup Mayonnaise
- 1-2 Pickles
- 1 Carrot
- ½ Small Onion
- Lemon Juice
- Salt to taste
Mix the sour cream and mayonnaise (you can use plain yogurt and less of the mayonnaise if you want less calories). Grate the pickles, carrots and onion on the finest grate into the mayonnaise and sour cream mixture. The onion should almost be a fine paste when you grate it. I generally put the juice of half a lemon and a splash of the pickle juice to give it more flavor. Done.
This dip is best if it sits for a few hours so that the flavours really integrate. Traditionally this is the dip that is used with the deep-fried cauliflower, however you can certainly use it with fish or fresh vegetables if you like.