This sweet and sticky cauliflower rice bowl is a quick and easy dinner recipe.
The star of this recipe is the cauliflower. We’ve cut it into florets, which are then covered in a batter and shallow-fried. They are then tossed in the sweet hoisin and gochujang sauce and fried for a few more minutes. This makes them the most delicious sticky and crispy cauliflower bites. The outside is a little crispy whilst the inside is soft. This fried cauliflower really is so moreish, we could easily eat just a bowl of it on its own! We’ve added rice, quick pickled cucumber ribbons, carrot sticks and pak choi to make this a full plate of deliciousness. The cooling cucumber and carrots help to balance the heat from the cauliflower, giving the dish a lovely freshness. The rice helps to bulk out the dish and soak up some of the extra sauce for the cauliflower.
This cauliflower bowl is the perfect weeknight meal.
Having lots of quick and easy go-to dinners is a must. And this recipe fits the brief! It barely takes any time to prepare, and before long, you have a delicious and nutritious dinner ready. Feel free to add whatever veggies you have in the fridge, such as broccoli, edamame beans or cabbage. This sticky crispy fried cauliflower goes with so many different vegetables.
Crispy cauliflower is what makes this bowl.
To get lovely crispy cauliflower bites, they’re coated in batter and then shallow fried. However, you could also bake them in the oven once battered and toss in the sauce once they’re cooked and crispy out of the oven. This involves using much less oil and is a slightly healthier option. If you feel like going the whole way, then deep-frying them will result in the most crispy cauliflower bites. This isn’t essential though, shallow-frying works very well and is the method we use.
This cauliflower rice bowl is:
- Sweet, sticky and spicy
- Quick and easy to make
- Vegan
- Great for a weeknight dinner
If you liked this recipe, why not try:
Sticky Crispy Fried Cauliflower Rice Bowl
Ingredients
For the pickled cucumbers
- 1/2 cucumber in ribbons
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp agave syrup
For the sticky cauliflower batter
- 1/2 head cauliflower cut into florets (160g)
- 50 g plain flour
- 15 g cornflour
- 100 ml water
- pinch of salt
For the sticky cauliflower sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp gochujang paste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 10 ginger grated
For the rest of the bowl
- 150 g rice
- sesame seeds
- carrot sliced into batons
- pak choi
- spring onion sliced
- coriander
Method
- Start by making the pickled cucumber. Add the cucumber ribbons to a bowl with the white wine vinegar, water and agave syrup. Stir, then leave to one side.
- Now put your rice on to cook according to the packet instructions.
- Make the cauliflower batter by mixing plain flour, cornflour, water and salt in a bowl. Then add the cauliflower florets and stir to coat them all well.
- Heat an inch of cooking oil and a saucepan, then shallow fry cauliflower florets in 2 batches, cooking for 8-10 minutes, and turning them regularly. Once cooked, remove them from the pan and place them on some kitchen roll on a plate to absorb the excess oil.
- Now make the sauce. Combine hoisin sauce, gochujang paste, sesame oil, white wine vinegar, soy sauce, water and ginger.
- Put the carrots and pak choi on to steam.
- Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan, add the crispy cauliflower bites and the sauce, and stir briefly to coat them until the sauce reduces and goes sticky. You want the sauce to stick to the cauliflower bites and caramelise slightly. Just before they’re done, add the sesame seeds and stir to coat.
- Add the rice to a bowl then top with the cauliflower, cucumber ribbons, carrot, pak choi, spring onion, sesame seeds and coriander.
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