Food and lifestyle

Recipe: Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

These cauliflower bites are a tasty and cruelty free alternative to buffalo chicken wings.

Holly Spindler

Dec 24, 2019

These cauliflower bites are a tasty and cruelty free alternative to buffalo chicken wings.

Cauliflower cooked golden, salt pepper and a crunchy crust.

Whether you're settling down for film night, or putting on a party spread, these buffalo cauliflower bites are perfect. A great alternative to buffalo chicken wings, they may even be 1 of your 5 a day!

Ingredients

For Buffalo Sauce: 230ml hot sauce 55g vegan butter 45g dark brown sugar

For Coating: 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon dried onion 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt

For Cauliflower Bites: 140g plain white flour 140g stone-ground yellow cornmeal or polenta 30g cornflour 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 340ml sparkling water 1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets 2 spring onion, roughly chopped, for sprinkling over at end

Instructions

To make the buffalo sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the hot sauce, butter, and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the coating: In a small bowl, combine the garlic, onion, sesame seeds, and salt. Set aside.

To make the cauliflower bites: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal/polenta, cornflour, salt, and pepper. Slowly add the sparkling water, whisking until well combined and a thick batter has formed.

In a wok or large saucepan, pour 3 inches (7.5 cm) of oil - vegetable oil works fine. Heat the oil to 175°C when tested with a thermometer (or a drop of batter fries quickly and bubbles up to the top). Line a plate with paper towels.

Working in batches, transfer some of the cauliflower florets into the batter; mix around until all the florets are fully coated. Using tongs, pick up a piece of cauliflower, allowing excess batter to drip off, and carefully transfer into the frying oil; repeat with the remaining battered pieces.

Fry in small batches for 4 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower to the paper towel–lined plate. Repeat until all of the cauliflower is fried.

In a large bowl, toss 1/4 of the fried cauliflower bites with 1/4 of the buffalo sauce and 2 teaspoons of the coating. You'll get a more even coating if you do it in batches. Transfer the bites to a serving tray and repeat for the remaining bites. Sprinkle the plated cauliflower with any remaining coating and the spring onions (optional).

Serve with blue cheese dressing on the side, for dipping.

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