I’m a bit of a cauliflower fiend. I love it roasted, in curries, with a Sunday roast. It’s delicious. And I used to hate it. I think because I’d had it prepared badly so many times. Boiled till it was limp and flavourless. Served up as a bland, gormless mush. Which is a huge injustice to just how delicious it can be.
I use cauliflower now as a vessel for anything that I want to really pack a punch. It can soak up strong flavours to perfection.
I’m not one to resist a good fried food and this was the perfect combination of extremely unhealthy and spicy to me.
I find the history of this dish to be really fascinating as well. It first emerged from Chinese neighborhoods in Kolkata and became a fusion of Chinese cooking to suit Indian tastes. Now I’m sure that the version I had at a takeaway in London (which I’ve tried to replicate here) tastes nothing like the original dish but it is delicious nonetheless.
In full disclosure, because of the richness of this dish, I can’t eat too much of it, but the pieces that I do eat, I enjoy immensely.
Spicy Fried Cauliflower
Ingredients:
For the cauliflower:
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
6 tablespoons of plain flour
3 tablespoons of cornflour
1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder
salt
pepper
water
vegetable oil
For the sauce:
2 onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon of dried ginger
1 red bell pepper, chopped
rapeseed oil
3 spring onions, chopped
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon of chilli paste
1/2 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
salt
coriander to top * optional
Instructions:
Add the cauliflower to a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain it and dry your cauliflower completely.
Mix your flours, salt, pepper and chilli powder into a bowl. Add in a bit of water little by little until a lump free batter forms.
In a large pan add about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil and heat. Test the heat of the oil regularly. When you add a flick of water to the oil and it sizzles, it’s time to get your cauliflower ready. Dunk each floret into the batter and then quickly put in the oil. Cook it for about three minutes rotating to get even brownness on all sides. You can have multiple cauliflower florets frying in your pan at once but make sure they don’t touch.
Once they are golden brown, set them aside on a piece of paper towel to strain off any excess oil.
Then begin to make your sauce. Add the oil to a large put. Once it’s hot, add in your bell pepper, onion and garlic. After your onion has gone translucent, add in your ginger and spring onions. Cook for 2 more minutes before lowering the heat. Then add in your soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce, chilli paste and vinegar. Give it all a big whisk together.
Then take your sauce pot off the heat and add your cauliflower to it. Toss so that the sauce covers everything. Check the flavour balance and add a bit of salt if needed. Top with a bit of cilantro and serve.
Notes:
I served mine with a side of lime brown rice.
Have you ever made or tried cauliflower manchurian?
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