Bang bang cauliflower
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 2
If you want some banging chilli flavours, try these crisp coated cauliflower florets with a creamy spicy bang bang sauce for an irresistible starter, side dish or light meal.
Each serving provides 795 kcal, 19.5g protein, 62g carbohydrate (of which 26g sugars), 49g fat (of which 4g saturates), 12g fibre and 3.1g salt.
By Lucy Parker
Ingredients
- 70g/2½oz panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 large cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets, young leaves reserved (see recipe tips)
- 100ml/3½fl oz oat milk
For the bang bang sauce
- 125ml/4fl oz sriracha mayonnaise (vegan if required, see recipe tips)
- 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
To garnish
- 1 small red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
In a shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder.
Dip the cauliflower florets in the milk, then roll them in the breadcrumb mix. Place them on the baking tray, making sure they aren’t touching.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, until starting to turn crisp and golden brown. Using a fish slice, turn them over and cook for a further 5–8 minutes, or until golden brown all over. Leave to cool.
To make the bang bang sauce, mix all the ingredients together and season with salt to taste.
To serve, drizzle the bang bang sauce over the cauliflower and scatter over the red chilli and spring onions.
Recipe tips
Don’t waste the young cauliflower leaves: use them to make a crispy salty snack. Discard the tough ends, then put the leaves on a baking tray and mix with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes. Roast on the bottom shelf of the oven for the last 10 minutes of baking the florets, then drizzle over the bang bang sauce.
Instead of oven baking, you can cook the cauliflower florets in a deep fat fryer. This will create a beautiful golden crust. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
You can make your own sriracha by mixing mayo and sriracha together. You can choose if your mayo is classic or vegan.
If you don't have panko bread crumbs, you can make your own or you can use plain flour.
