Korean Baked Cauliflower (2024)

Recipe by George L.Course: SnackCuisine: KoreanDifficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1 medium 1 -sized cauliflower, cut into florets

• 1 cup 1 all purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon 1 potato starch (substitute: corn starch)

• 1/2 cup 1/2 raw almonds

• 2/3 cup 2/3 Panko breadcrumbs

• 2 tablespoons 2 white sesame seeds, to finish

• Vegan Buttermilk Brine

• 1 cup 1 non-dairy milk, I used almond milk

• 1 tablespoon 1 lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon 1 cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon 1 white pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon 1/4 ginger powder

• 1 teaspoon 1 garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon 1 fine sea salt

• Sticky Spicy Sauce

• 1 teaspoon 1 sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon 1 ginger, grated

• 4 cloves 4 garlic, finely minced

• 1/2 cup 1/2 ketchup

• 1/2 cup 1/2 mirin

• 2 tablespoon 2 sriracha

• 2 tablespoon 2 tamari soy sauce

• 4 tablespoons 4 maple syrup

• 2 teaspoon 2 rice wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoon 2 gochujang, or korean chili paste

  See Also

  Bibimbap Inspired Beef Stir FryCreamy Calabrian Chili Pappardelle with Sausage & Fennel - The Original Dish10 Classic British Biscuits to Pair With TeaCrispy Curry Vegetable Wontons (Vegan Recipe)

• 1 pinch 1 gochugaru, or korean chili pepper flakes

Directions

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 adouble 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.
• 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.