The Musette: Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower Beignets

Posted on 03/09/2022 by

21 Comments

This crunchy, spicy, sweet, happy hour snack is a major crowd pleaser. A perfect, shareable snack to make for when you are having people over, or a fun meal to enjoy yourself! I love cooking with cauliflower because it’s a vegetable that can withstand high heat and is really good at absorbing flavour.

If I say so myself, the gochujang maple sauce is amazing. Sweet and spicy, the perfect sauce for these cauliflower bites, or indeed for chicken wings. The base of the sauce is gochujang, a Korean condiment made from fermented red chillis. You can now find this in most major grocery shops. Gochujang has a sweet, spicy, funky flavour that is really crave-able. I find it balances really well with maple syrup and the combination is incredible. Sweet + Spicy = Lovely!

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 cauliflower, broken into bite sized florets

Batter:

  • 310g (2 cups) rice flour
  • 1 tbs cornflour (corn starch)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1medium organic egg
  • 300ml (1 1/4 cup) filtered, cold water

Gochujang Maple Sauce:

  • 6 tbsp gochujang paste
  • 4 tbs dark soy sauce 
  • 4 tbs maple syrup 
  • 2 tbs rice wine vinegar
  • 2 fat cloves garlic, minced
  • thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger,  minced

Topping:

  • 11g (1 cup) spring onions (scallions), sliced
  • 35g (1/4 cup) sesame seeds

Method

1. If, like me, you don’t have a fat fryer, pour about  720 – 960ml (3-4 cups) vegetable oil into a large, high-sided saucepan. Slowly bring the temperature of the oil to 190C/(375F). While the oil is heating, carry on with the rest of the dish.

Cauliflower Florets | Sheree

2. Break apart your cauliflower into small bite-sized florets.

Batter Recipes | Sheree

3. In a large bowl whisk together rice flour, corn starch, salt, and onion powder. Then crack in the egg and pour in the water. Whisk until smooth. You want the consistency of a loose pancake batter. If it seems too thick, add in a tbs of water. Too runny? Add in a tbs rice flour.

The Best Sauce - Sheree

4. For the sauce, use a small sauce pan and add the gochujang, soy, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and ginger. Place over medium low heat. Stir regularly until everything combines nicely and the sauce is smooth and glossy.

5. Now it’s time to fry. Line a baking sheet with kitchen paper towel. Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter. I do this one at a time. Remove from batter and allow excess to drain off. Gently drop the battered cauliflower into the oil and allow to fry until a golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan otherwise the oil temperature will drop. Place cooked pieces on kitchen paper to drain any excess fat.

Fried Cauliflower - Sheree

6. Once you have fried all of the cauliflower florets,  place in a bowl, season with salt, and then pour over the warmed sauce. Toss the cauliflower beignets until fully covered.

7. Place coated cauliflower beignets onto plate or in a bowl and top with sliced onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy with a cold drink of your choice. Warning, these are seriously addictive!

Category: Food and Wine, The Musette Recipes, Vegan dishesTags: , , ,

21 Comments on “The Musette: Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower Beignets”

    • The trick with deep fat frying is to get the oil the right temperature then the cauliflower is nice and crisp and not at all oily

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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