I love cauliflower but the funny thing is, I only really enjoy them coated in a batter with a good crispy exterior and either baked or fried to a crisp--usually in the form of these cauliflower 'wings', fritters, or balls!
These are crispy cauliflower coated in a slightly spicy and sweet glaze! I used gochujang and I love its mild spice and really rich, umami flavour. It gives so much depth to a lot of recipes and is a staple in Korean cuisine.
Check out the recipe video below:
These cauliflower are delicious as is or paired with some rice or noodles! Enjoy!
MORE OF MY CAULIFLOWER RECIPES:
Check out my other cauliflower recipes here.
Are you looking for more delicious, vegan recipes? Check out my latest Vegan Kitchen eBook, that has over 95 recipes (and a whole section for Asian recipes!) that are packed with flavour and made with simple and easily accessible ingredients! Also, two trees (instead of 1!) will be planted for every download of my eBook through non-profit organisation One Tree Planted.🌲
If you make this recipe, please tag me on my Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #thefoodietakesflight :)
Watch how it's made:
Spicy Korean Gochujang Cauliflower
Good for 2-3 people
Battered crispy cauliflower coated in a spicy and slightly sweet glaze!
Sauce Ingredients 1-2 tbsp gochujang (korean chili paste), adjust depending on desired spice 1/2 cup room temperature water 2 tbsp liquid sweetener (I used maple syrup) or brown sugar, adjust according to desired sweetness 1/3 cup ketchup 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp white vinegar 2 tsp minced garlic 1 tbsp cornstarch
Cauliflower 400-450g (1lb) raw cauliflower florets (from 1 medium-sized 600g head)
Neutral oil, for frying
Sesame seeds and chopped green onions, for topping
Batter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup room temperature water
Coating
1 to 1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, or more as needed
Steps (see baking option below)
Place all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Mix together until combined.
In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the batter until it turns into a smooth, thick consistency.
In another bowl or plate, add in the bread crumbs.
One by one, dip each cauliflower in the batter and transfer into the breadcrumbs. Coat well using one hand (this is to avoid messy hands—I usually use one hand for dry and one hand for wet when coating cauliflower). Press down the bread crumbs on the cauliflower. Set aside once coated.
Heat a frying pan with enough oil to submerge at least half of the cauliflowers. You can test out the heat of the oil by placing some bread crumbs. If it bubbles and is hot, place the cauliflower florets and cook until golden brown, moving it around on each side every 2 minutes or so.
Once golden brown, set aside on a strainer to drain excess oil or you can put this on a plate with paper towels.
Remove the oil from the pan. In the same pan, place heat over medium. Add in the sauce and leave to simmer over medium heat, mixing constantly until it thickens, around 2 to 3 minutes. Once the sauce thickens, lower the heat and place the fried/baked cauliflower. Mix to coat in the sauce.*
Enjoy while hot! Garnish with some sesame seeds and green onions, if desired.
*Notes:
You can also opt to enjoy the sauce as a dip!
Baking option: Heat oven to 350F. Bake the cauliflower for 35-40 minutes or until crisp. Flip halfway through cooking.
