Roasted Malai Broccoli Tikka
Broccoli florets in a creamy hung-curd malai marinade, roasted until the edges catch. Oven, air fryer, or tawa. No tandoor.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen towel
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
For the broccoli
- 1 large head broccoli about 500 g / 1 lb, cut into even bite-size florets
- 1 teaspoon salt for the optional blanch water
- 1 tablespoon melted butter or oil for brushing
For the malai marinade
- 1/2 cup hung curd or thick Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons fresh cream or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons cashew paste 8 to 10 raw cashews, soaked and blended
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon besan gram flour
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon green cardamom powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or white pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar optional
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons grated processed cheese or mozzarella optional
To serve
- lemon wedges
- onion thinly sliced
- mint chutney
- pinch chaat masala optional
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
Prep the broccoli
- Cut the broccoli into even florets. Keep the stems short and similar in size so they cook together.
- Optional blanch for thick stems: boil salted water, drop the florets in for 60 seconds, then move them to ice water. Drain.
- Spread the florets on a clean towel and pat until they feel dry on the cut sides. Do not skip this.
Mix the marinade
- Whisk hung curd, cream, cashew paste, ginger-garlic, besan, kasuri methi, cumin, garam masala, cardamom, pepper, salt, sugar if using, and lemon. The mix should be thick and spreadable. If it looks pourable, add 1 more teaspoon besan.
- Stir in the cheese if you are using it.
- Add the dry florets and coat every cut side. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. Longer than that and the lemon starts to thin the cream.
Oven (default)
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a tray with parchment or set a rack over a tray. Brush with butter or oil.
- Arrange the florets in a single layer with space between them. Brush the tops with a little more butter.
- Roast 16 to 20 minutes, turning once, until the edges brown and the stems are tender-crisp.
- Broil 1 to 2 minutes if you want more char. Watch it. The cream goes from gold to bitter fast.
- Finish with lemon, chaat masala if you like, cilantro, onion, and mint chutney. Serve hot.
Air fryer
- Heat the air fryer to 360°F (180°C). Grease the basket.
- Arrange a single layer. Cook in batches if needed.
- Air fry 8 to 10 minutes, turning at 5 minutes, until the edges catch. Brush with butter halfway if the tops look dry.
Tawa
- Heat a well-oiled tawa or cast-iron pan on medium-high.
- Place the florets cut-side down. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until you see brown spots. Cover for 2 minutes if the stems are still firm.
- Do not crowd the pan. Steam is the enemy of char.
Notes
Marinate 30 minutes before cooking. That is included in the 70-minute total.
Dry the broccoli or the malai will slide off.
Hung curd, not regular dahi. Thin yogurt makes a puddle on the tray.
Cheese is optional. Cashew paste is the creaminess.
Do not skip the besan. It is what keeps the marinade on the floret.
If the tray looks wet at 12 minutes, you crowded it. Finish that batch, then roast the rest with more space.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer 4 to 5 minutes. The microwave makes them limp.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!