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Meaty with a dash of veggies

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Vegetables Lunch / Dinner Side Dishes

Crispy Buffalo cauliflower florets

Published: 04.15.2017 » Last updated: 06.22.2022

Think of it as vegetarian Buffalo chicken wings — batter-coated cauliflower florets tossed in thick and sticky sweet-salty-spicy sauce that coats the florets without ruining the crispness.

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Florets

But why a vegetarian version of an iconic chicken dish? There was a time when my firstborn was a vegetarian and I cooked this for her. The rest of us enjoyed it as a side dish.

The thing is, these Buffalo cauliflower florets turned out so good that my secondborn, a carnivore to the core, started hankering for it too. Since then, whenever I cook this dish, I use the largest head of cauliflower available.

But, before the recipe for this meatless dish, let me just point out that I do have a recipe for Buffalo chicken wings if you prefer chicken over cauliflower.

Baked Buffalo chicken wings with dipping sauce on serving plate

Baked Buffalo chicken wings

Do floured chicken wings turn crisp in the oven? Sure, if you know a few tricks. These Buffalo chicken wings were double-dredged in flour, dipped in melted butter and baked for 20 minutes.

Get the recipe u0026rarr;Baked Buffalo chicken wings

Full recipe below

Crispy Buffalo cauliflower florets

Connie Veneracion
By combining all-purpose flour with cornstarch, the coating stays crisp longer after the fried battered florets are tossed with the Buffalo sauce.
Crispy Buffalo cauliflower florets
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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head cauliflower - (you should have four to five cups of florets after trimming and cutting)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • cooking oil

Buffalo sauce

  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup hot sauce - (I used Sriracha)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the cauliflower well, trim and cut into florets.
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and starch with the salt and pepper.
  • Pour in iced water little by little, mixing as you pour, until you have a thick but still pourable batter.
  • In a frying pan or wok, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least three inches.
  • Dump the cauliflower florets into the batter and mix lightly but thoroughly to coat each floret with batter.
  • Drop the batter-coated florets one by one into the hot oil.
  • Cook over medium-high heat, turning them over midway through the cooking, until crispy and lightly browned.
  • Scoop out the florets and spread on a rack.
  • Pour off the oil from the pan.
  • Add all the ingredients for the Buffalo sauce and half of the sesame seeds into the pan.
  • Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture reaches boiling point. Turn off the heat.
  • Add the cauliflower florets to the sauce and toss to coat all of them well.
  • Transfer the crispy Buffalo cauliflower florets to a plate (or plates if you want to serve them individually like I did) and sprinkle with the remaining toasted sesame seeds. Optionally, sprinkle in some chopped parsley too.
  • Serve the crispy Buffalo cauliflower florets at once.
Print
Keyword Cauliflower, Meatless, Spicy

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Connie Veneracion, Chiang Mai, 2020

Hi, I’m Connie!

Welcome to Umami Days, a blog that advocates innovative home cooking for pleasurable everyday dining. No trendy diets, no food fads and definitely no ludicrous recipe names like crustless quiche, noodleless pho or chocolate lasagna.

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