Ever get a hankering for a particular food? The other day I really wanted some fried cauliflower wings. I wanted the whole experience; dipping the golden-brown nuggets into sweet and spicy sauce and then biting through the crisp batter into tender cauliflower. Delicious!
What normally puts me off making this sort of thing is dealing with the oil but in the case of fried cauliflower it was finding the perfect batter.
The secret to the best fried cauliflower wings
I believe I’ve found the best fry batter in Claudia’s recipe on What’s Cooking Italian Style Cuisine.
Her batter is very light and coats all the bumps and knobs of the cauliflower. And when fried it’s crisp like tempura rather than bready. Her secret is using ice cold water (I measured my cold water right from the fridge, then put an ice cube in it to keep it cold until it was time to mix). You’ll have enough batter to make about a pound and a half of fried cauliflower wings.
I used fresh cauliflower, making sure when I cut the pieces into “wings” there was a bit of core to hold the florets in place. Any small florets that did escape were fried up for popcorn cauliflower.
Tips for making fried cauliflower
Pick a neutral flavored oil for frying. I like sunflower oil. You may prefer another kind. You’re looking for the temperature sweet spot where the cauliflower has time to cook without over browning the batter. In the past I just guessed but my frying adventures improved greatly once I invested in an instant read thermometer.
You want the oil temperature around 350F/180C with the burner on medium low to medium heat. It should take between 8 to 10 minutes to brown the wings on all sides and ensure the cauliflower inside is tender. You can check the tenderness with a fork.
Once you take the first bite you’ll be glad you made the effort to learn what works best for your stove and the oil you’re working with.
If you regularly cook Asian food you no doubt have sriracha, sweet chili sauce and rice vinegar on hand. Stir them into some mayo to suit your tastes and you have an awesome sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 head fresh cauliflower between 1 1/2 - 2 pounds before trimming, cut into "wings"
- Enough oil to fill a large skillet about 3/4" deep.
Dry ingredients
- 1/2 cup (65g) plain flour
- 1/2 cup (65g) cornstarch (aka cornflour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
Seasoning mix
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
Wet ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup (158 ml) ice water (measure the water first, then add ice to keep it cold)
Awesome Sauce
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons sriracha or similar chili sauce adjust amounts to suit your taste
- 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar or honey optional, I didn't use
Instructions
- Mix the Awesome Sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside until needed.
- Measure all the dry ingredients and seasoning mix into a large mixing bowl.
- In another bowl, beat the egg and ice cold water (without the ice!) together. Whisk into the dry ingredients and smooth. The batter will be thin.
- Heat the oil over medium heat until the temperature is 350F/180C (a dollop of batter will sink to the bottom of the skillet, rise and brown in about a minute).
- Working in batches and sorting by size when possible, add the cauliflower to the batter, turning to coat. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the pieces. Let the excess batter drip back into the bowl.
- Transfer the battered cauliflower to the hot oil. Don't crowd the pan or let the pieces touch each other.
- Turn every couple of minutes to fry each side golden brown. Check the cauliflower for tenderness before draining on paper towels.
- Serve with the Awesome Sauce
To reheat leftover fried cauliflower wings, place them on a baking tray and heat in a 350F/180C oven until warmed through. The batter will re-crisp instead of getting soggy. When I tried reheating in a dry skillet I found the pieces got too brown.
We enjoyed the Awesome Sauce but feel free to dip your wings into whatever kind of sauce you like!
You may also enjoy these Korean BBQ tofu wings:
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