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Korean Baked Cauliflower with Sweet & Spicy Sticky Sauce Recipe

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4.2 from 30 reviews

This Korean Baked Cauliflower recipe features crispy golden-brown cauliflower florets coated in a sweet and spicy sticky sauce, inspired by pub-style Korean Fried Chicken for a delicious and flavorful snack.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Main Ingredients

  • 1 medium -sized cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon potato starch (substitute: corn starch)
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds
  • 2/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, to finish

Vegan Buttermilk Brine

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk, I used almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Sticky Spicy Sauce

  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup mirin
  • 2 tablespoon sriracha
  • 2 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon gochujang, or korean chili paste
  • 1 pinch gochugaru, or korean chili pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Brine the Cauliflower: Place all cauliflower florets in a large bowl. Add all the Vegan Buttermilk ingredients into the bowl (non-dairy milk last) and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.
  2. Prepare Coatings: In a food processor, blitz the raw almonds until they’re crushed but not resembling almond meal, around 6-10 pulses. In a bowl, combine almonds with panko breadcrumbs (See notes). In a separate bowl, mix together all purpose flour and potato starch. Set aside.
  3. Make the Sauce: In a non-stick pan, heat sesame oil on medium heat and fry ginger and garlic until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add in all the remaining ingredients, combine well, and bring to a boil. Once the sauce reaches your desired consistency (for me, this usually takes no reduction at all), taste for seasoning and remove off the heat. Set aside.
  4. Bread the Cauliflower: Pre-heat the oven to 420 degrees F (215 C). Once the cauliflower has brined long enough, separate the cauliflower florets from the buttermilk brine. Set up four separate stations: 1) cauliflower florets. 2) buttermilk brine. 3) panko breadcrumbs & almonds. 4) all purpose flour & potato starch. The breading is a double coat, as follows: dip each cauliflower floret into the flour & potato starch mixture, shake off excess, dip into the buttermilk brine again, shake off excess, and then into the panko & almond mixture. Be sure to fully coat the cauliflower! Repeat for all florets, and set them onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Optional: drizzling with ~1 tablespoon of olive oil helps them crisp up.
  5. Bake & Finish: Bake for around 30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown & crispy. When the cauliflower is almost done baking, re-heat the sauce (the sauce should be warm/hot, so the cauliflower won’t turn soggy). Toss the baked cauliflower in sauce right after it comes out of the oven. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds. Serve warm.

Notes

  • Optional Step for Panko Breadcrumbs: toast them first in a pan with a little bit of vegetable oil until lightly-golden brown. This helps improve the color of the baked cauliflower, especially if you’re serving without sauce.

Find it online: https://yumfoodusa.com/korean-baked-cauliflower-with-sweet-and-spicy-sticky-sauce-recipe/