Malai Broccoli is a flavorful and delightful appetizer where broccoli florets are coated with rich, creamy malai marinade and roasted until perfectly golden and crisp in the air fryer or oven. Serve as a starter or even as a side dish in an Indian meal.
Imagine that you have an unexpected visitor gathering at your house, and you don't have any fancy recipes in mind. A few popular choices are paneer tikka, fries, and samosa, and most of us find them to be somewhat monotonous. Take heart! We are here to help you if you are going to experience this predicament.
We present to you a simple dish that uses a few wonderful ingredients. Malai Broccoli is what it is named. Trust me when I say that this appetizer recipe will wow your visitors more than any other.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love Tandoori Malai Broccoli
- Malai Broccoli Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Malai Broccoli in Air Fryer
- How to Make Malai Broccoli in the Oven
- Tandoori Malai Broccoli Serving Suggestions
- Tips to make the Best Tandoori Broccoli
- Variations
- More Broccoli Recipes
- More Air Fryer Recipes
- Malai Broccoli
Why You Will Love Tandoori Malai Broccoli
- This recipe is very easy to make and requires only a handful of ingredients.
- Besides being delicious, this recipe is also very healthy.
- Crowd-pleasing and Kids-friendly.
- You can accompany this delicious appetizer with almost any kind of dip.
- It makes for a great snack to pair with your tea/coffee.
- Great snack idea if you are on a low-carb diet.
Malai Broccoli Recipe Ingredients
- Broccoli: I made this recipe with fresh organic broccoli available in supermarkets. Clean and cut into bite-sized florets.
- Yogurt: Use plain, full-fat hung curd or Greek yogurt for a thick creamy marinade. Here is the detailed recipe for How to make Hung Curd at home.
- Cream: I used heavy whipping cream, you can also use fresh cream or Amul cream.
- Cheese: I used Amul processed cheese cubes and grated it. You can use any shredded mozzarella cheese. Just make sure it incorporates well in the marinade.
- Ginger and garlic: You can mince or use ginger-garlic paste.
- Spices: I have used cardamom powder, cumin powder, garam masala, salt, and pepper.
- Kasuri Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves): Also known as Kasuri methi, give a nice flavor to the dish. If you don't have it, simply skip it.
- Lemon juice: use freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice for the best flavor.
- Corn Starch: is added to help broccoli to coat the marinade well and not stick to the air fryer basket/pan. Skip cornstarch if you are making a low-carb snack. If you don't have cornflour, use besan instead.
- Butter: used for roasting the broccoli.
How to Make Malai Broccoli in Air Fryer
Clean, and cut the broccoli head into bite-sized florets, roughly the same size for even cooking.
The next step is to blanch the broccoli. Bring a medium-sized pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop the broccoli in the boiling water, let it cook for 1 minute (for firm broccoli), and then transfer it into a bowl filled with water and ice cubes. Once cooled, drain the water and pat them dry with a kitchen or paper towel. Or you may also steam the broccoli in Instant Pot.
In a large bowl, add hung curd, heavy cream, shredded cheese, ginger-garlic paste, cardamom powder, kasuri methi, garam masala, cumin powder, salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch (flour). Mix everything well using a whisker.
Then add the blanched/steamed broccoli florets and mix until each piece of the broccoli is coated well with the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Firstly, Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (180°C). Grease the Air fryer basket with some butter (or oil). Place the marinated broccoli florets in the basket and spread them in a single layer (cook in batches if required). Brush or spray some butter on the top, ensuring the broccoli doesn't dry out.
Air fry at 360°F (180°C) for 8-10 minutes or until edges start browning and turn tender-crisp. Turn halfway through cooking time.
Remove in a serving plate, squeeze some lime juice, and immediately serve with mint yogurt chutney.
How to Make Malai Broccoli in the Oven
Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the marinated cheesy malai broccoli evenly in a single layer.
Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes. Then broil on high for 2-3 minutes till they turn charred and crispy on the edges. Turn halfway through cooking time.
Tandoori Malai Broccoli Serving Suggestions
Serve tandoori malai broccoli tikka hot with
- Yogurt mint chutney
- Onion salad or slices
- Lime wedges
- and a glass of mango lassi or a hot cup of ginger chai.
Tips to make the Best Tandoori Broccoli
- Cut them the same size: This helps for quick and even cooking.
- Prep and Dry Broccoli: Wash the broccoli florets, steam them, and pat them dry thoroughly before marinating. Excess moisture will make the roasted broccoli soggy.
- Marination: In the refrigerator, let the broccoli florets marinate for at least 30 minutes. If you have some extra time, then let them sit for longer. That way, they absorb more flavors from the marinade.
- Work in batches. Make sure to spread the marinated broccoli in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving some space between each other. Cook in batches if needed.
- Shake the basket halfway: It's important to turn them halfway through cooking time for even roasting.
- Corn starch: I highly recommend adding cornstarch (or besan) to the marinade. This step ensures that the cornstarch would help the broccoli to coat well and not stick to the air fryer basket/pan.
Variations
- Other Veggies: You can also add a medley of vegetables like onion, bell peppers, and mushrooms along with broccoli to make mixed vegetable malai tikka.
- Keto: If you want to make keto or low-carb malai broccoli tikka bites, then skip cornstarch in this recipe.
- Paneer: Replace broccoli with paneer cubes to make malai paneer tikka.
More Broccoli Recipes
- Broccoli Spinach Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Paneer Broccoli Paratha
- Broccoli Dill Salad
- Broccoli Raita
More Air Fryer Recipes
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Malai Broccoli
Equipment
Ingredients
For Malai Marinade
- ½ cup hung curd (or greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup cheese (I used amul processed cheese)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar optional
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice optional
- 1 tablespoon corn starch (or besan)
Other Ingredients
- 1 large head broccoli (about 20-22 medium sized florets, around 300 grams)
- 1-2 tablespoons butter for brushing
Instructions
- Clean, and cut the broccoli head into bite-sized florets, roughly the same size for even cooking.The next step is to blanch the broccoli. Bring a medium-sized pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop the broccoli in the boiling water, let it cook for 1 minute (for firm broccoli), and then transfer it into a bowl filled with water and ice cubes. Once cooled, drain the water and pat them dry with a kitchen or paper towel. Or you may also steam the broccoli in Instant Pot.
- In a large bowl, add hung curd, heavy cream, shredded cheese, ginger-garlic paste, cardamom powder, kasuri methi, garam masala, cumin powder, salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch (flour). Mix everything well using a whisker.
- Then add the blanched/steamed broccoli florets and mix until each piece of the broccoli is coated well with the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Firstly, Preheat the air fryer to 360°F (180°C). Grease the Air fryer basket with some butter (or oil). Place the marinated broccoli florets in the basket and spread them in a single layer (cook in batches if required). Brush or spray some butter on the top, ensuring the broccoli doesn't dry out.
- Air fry at 360°F (180°C) for 8-10 minutes or until edges start browning and turn tender-crisp. Turn halfway through cooking time.
- Remove in a serving plate, squeeze some lime juice, and immediately serve with mint yogurt chutney.
How to Make Malai Broccoli in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the marinated cheesy malai broccoli evenly in a single layer.
- Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes. Then broil on high for 2-3 minutes till they turn charred and crispy on the edges. Turn halfway through cooking time.
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