Bang Bang Cauliflower | Vegan

I cannot even begin to tell you just how GOOD this cauliflower is.

If you're not aware, cauliflower is often used in many recipes as a meat replacement, now you may be thinking "Shannon you're crazy", but let me tell you. if cooked right alongside the perfect spices and sauces, cauliflower can easily mimic a meat based dish. I'm not saying cauliflower tastes like meat, but I'm saying you won't miss meat all the time the cauliflower is the main focus of the meal! Make this recipe and tell me otherwise! 

If you like a mixture of sweet and spicy and a slight mix between crunchy and soft, then you need to try this recipe! The sweetness from the maple syrup balances out the spice from the sweet chilli sauce and sriracha perfectly, but the addition of vegan mayonnaise makes for the perfect sauce, leaving it with a creamy texture, perfect on top of the battered cauliflower. Now if you're not already drooling, I suggest throwing all of the following ingredients into your shopping basket and get cooking!

- VEGAN BANG BANG CAULIFLOWER -

Serves: 2   Prep Time: 10 mins   Cook Time: 30 mins

You will need:

- 1 small - medium cauliflower, chopped into florets

- 1 cup plain flour

- 1 cup oat milk, unsweetened (could use any other unsweetened plant based milk)

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 1/2 tsp dried garlic granules

For the bang bang sauce:

- 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise

- 2 1/2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

- 1 tsp sriracha

- 1 tsp maple syrup 

Method -

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. 

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, oat milk, salt, pepper and dried garlic. Mix until combined.

3. Use a fork to dip the cauliflower florets into the batter, making sure they are completely covered and allowing any excess batter to drip off the cauliflower before placing each of them onto the lined baking tray.

4. Place the battered cauliflower into the oven for 20 mins, flipping occasionally. 

5. In another medium sized bowl. add the vegan mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce, sriracha and maple syrup. You can adjust the ingredients to your preferred taste, but I found that this worked perfectly for me. Mix them all together until combined and set aside.

6. Remove the cauliflower from the oven, at this point it should be a slight golden brown colour. Being careful as the cauliflower will be hot, use a fork to pick up each battered cauliflower floret and dip them each into the sauce. Coat them all completely like you did with the batter and allow any excess sauce to drip off before placing them back onto the same tray and placing them back into the oven for an extra ten minutes. By cooking them in the sauce, this allows the flavours to soak into the cauliflower even more.

7. Once cooked, remove the bang bang cauliflower from the oven and serve immediately!

You can enjoy the cauliflower alone or as a side! I served mine up with some rocket and salad and topped it off with some sesame seeds and chopped spring onion.

What's your favourite way to cook cauliflower?

Love always,

Shannon x