Sticky ginger cauliflower

Serves 4 / Vegetarian / Nut free

This moreish dish is sticky, sweet and spicy. The cauliflower pieces are dipped in batter then baked in the oven until crispy. They are then smothered in a flavour-packed, sweet and sticky sauce, and baked again. I serve this dish with sautéed cauliflower greens, fried in a bit of sesame oil and garlic, and rice. It’s finger-­licking good. This dish can be made gluten-free by using a gluten-free tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.

Ingredients

Cauliflower

• 800g whole cauliflower, stalk and leaves included
• ¾ cup/100g rice flour
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• ½ tablespoon olive oil
• ¾ cup/190ml water

Sticky sauce

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes or chopped fresh chilli
• 1½ tablespoons cornflour
• ½ cup/125ml water
• 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
• 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

To serve

• sesame seeds
• spring onion or onion weed, sliced
• steamed rice

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C (or 200°C fan bake).

Remove the leaves from the cauliflower. From each leaf, strip the greenery off the leaf stalk then shred into small pieces and set aside.

Chop the cauliflower head and the large middle stem into small pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, cornflour, turmeric, salt and pepper. Add the water and 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Mix together to make a slurry.

Tip in the chopped cauliflower head and stem. Mix well so all the cauliflower pieces are coated.

Lightly grease a flat oven tray with ½ tablespoon olive oil and lay out the coated cauliflower in a single layer.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the cauliflower has crisped up.

While the cauliflower is baking start on the sauce.

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the sesame oil, garlic, ginger and chilli and sauté for
2 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the cornflour into the water.

To the saucepan, add the soy sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar and cornflour. Whisk it well. It will thicken up as it boils. Once thick, remove from the heat and set aside.

When the cauliflower has finished baking, remove it from the oven. Tip the sauce over all the cauliflower pieces, ensuring they’re all covered.

Bake the cauliflower with the sauce for another 6–8 minutes.

While the cauliflower is baking, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add in the shredded cauliflower greens and 1 teaspoon of water.

Once the leaves have turned bright green and the water has evaporated, add in the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil and fry the greens for a further minute.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the cauliflower and greens over rice with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and chopped spring onion or onion weed.