Today we are making Sticky Sesame Cauliflower, it’s Vegan and gluten-free. This mouth watering recipe is prepared by frying or baking the battered cauliflower and then mixing it with the spicy, sweet, tangy & flavorful sauce.
I am going to show you how easy it is to prepare this incredible recipe with some simple steps.
Ingredients for Sticky Sesame Cauliflower - Vegan & Gluten Free
Cauliflower - 1 Medium
Chickpeas or Gram Flour - 200 Grams
Cornstarch - 2 Tablespoons
Red Chili Powder - Half Teaspoon
Turmeric Powder _ 1 Pinch
Salt - Half Teaspoon
Garlic Powder - 1 and half Teaspoon
Water as needed for the batter
Oil as needed to fry the cauliflower
Ingredients for the Sauce
Sesame Oil - 2 Tablespoons
Garlic Cloves - 5
Gluten free Soy Sauce - 5 Tablespoons
Red Wine Vinegar - 2 Tablespoons
Agave Syrup - 2 Tablespoons
Sriracha - 3 Tablespoons
Ketchup - 2 Tablespoons
Cornstarch Slurry
Sesame Seeds
Chives
Cornstarch Slurry
Cornstarch - 2 Tablespoons
Water - 4-5 Tablespoons
Let’s get started
Step 1
Take 1 medium size cauliflower, I have sliced it into medium florets and then washed it thoroughly and soaked in hot water with some turmeric and salt for 20 minutes. This step is optional but I like to do it to soften the cauliflower as well as to make sure there are no worms in it.
Step 2
Let’s prepare the batter for the cauliflower
To a bowl take around 200 grams of chickpeas or gram flour. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, half teaspoon of red chili powder, pinch of turmeric powder, half teaspoon of salt or salt as per taste, 1 and half teaspoon of garlic powder, Mix the dry ingredients. If you see chucks of spice or flour make sure to break them. Once mixed, add water to the dry ingredients gradually and in small quantities. We are going to prepare a running and smooth batter. So till you get to this consistency keep on adding the water little by little.
Once the batter is ready, add the cauliflower florets to the bowl. Don’t add all of them at once, add 1/3rd or half so it’s easier to mix and coat, and once they are coated perfectly take them out and coat the rest.
Once you finish coating all the cauliflower florets, it’s time to fry them. You can bake them or air fry them as well.
Step 3
Heat oil in a pan, as the oil gets really hot, switch the heat to medium and add the cauliflower florets to it one by one. The reason we don’t add them together is because they will stick to each other and won’t get crispy from all the sides properly, plus it’s easier to work on them when added separately. Make sure the heat is set to medium so the florets get cooked evenly from the inside as well as the outside. Once the florets get crispy, take them out of the pan, try to taste the biggest floret, and see if it is cooked properly or not. Also you can always cook only one and do a taste test, and adjust the spices or the salt level in the remaining ones before frying them.
I will admit that I ended up eating a lot of them while frying as they are on point with the taste and so irresistible.
Step 4
It’s time to prepare the Sauce
Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to the pan, then add 5 cloves of finely chopped garlic, make sure the heat is set to low so the garlic doesn’t burn. Cook it for 2 minutes. Then add 5 tablespoons of gluten free soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of agave syrup, 3 tablespoons of sriracha, if you don’t have sriracha, replace it with a spicy sauce. 2 tablespoons of ketchup, now mix everything. Remember, we are cooking it over low heat, let it cook for 2-3 minutes and meanwhile we will prepare the cornstarch slurry. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to a bowl. Then add 4-5 tablespoons of water and mix everything till the cornstarch gets completely dissolved in water. We use cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
As you can see even though the heat is at low, the sauce is slightly boiling, add the cornstarch slurry to it, now mix it, till it’s nicely incorporated. You will start to notice that the sauce is thickening up. Let it cook for 2 minutes and then mix again, you may add some water if you want to adjust the thickness. But for the sticky sesame cauliflowers, this is a perfect consistency. At this point, switch off the heat and add the batter fried cauliflower florets to the pan.
Mix till all the florets are evenly coated with the sauce.
Look at that, it already smells amazing and looks so good
For the final touch, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of it, followed by some spring onion greens or chives.
Give it a mix again and serve hot. You can eat this like a starter, or this goes really well with some fried rice or plain noodles. For the final finish I am sprinkling some more sesame seeds, both white and black, followed by some more chives. This recipe is so quick to prepare and will check all the right boxes on the taste test. It is one of my favorite appetizers, as it’s so quick to prepare and one of the most delicious foods on the planet.
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