In the mood for KFC? That would be Korean fried cauliflower
Chef promises his recipe will make devouring half a head of the versatile vegetable a breeze
Creative cauliflower dishes started to appear on restaurant menus last year, taking on kale head-on as the vegetable du jour.
At Fat Pasha, it was roasted whole, drizzled with tahina and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. The Drake One Fifty roasted cauliflower with butter and topped it with pecorino and capers. La Carnita spinoff Home of the Brave served it beer-battered with a ranch dipping sauce.
At home, cooks salivated over the cauliflower cake recipe from Plenty More cookbook by chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, or they simply pulverized the vegetable into fluffy little grains as a substitute for rice and couscous out of fear of gluten.
Cauliflower has proven to be a versatile vegetable. This recipe for lightly battered nuggets tossed in a sweet Korean chili sauce from Carbon Bar chef Hidde Zomer will make devouring half a head of cauliflower a breeze.
“I came out with this last winter after having a delicious kung pao cauliflower at Thoroughbred and then later made this after playing around for an hour in the kitchen,” says Zomer. “This dish isn’t rocket science and not the most complicated thing on the menu, but the meaty texture of the cauliflower and the sweet, spicy and sourness of the chili paste makes this one of the biggest sellers on the menu.”
Zomer came up with this recipe with one of his cooks’ grandmothers, whose Korean chili recipe is a family secret.
Zomer wouldn’t share the secret but he did give us a simplified, onepot at-home version using the bare essential flavours. The recipe yields about a litre of sauce, which is more than what you’ll need for the cauliflower, but this hot sauce tastes great with fried chicken, in sandwiches, on fried rice, basically treat it like Korean Sriracha.
Korean Fried Caulifower
Star Tested Adapted from Carbon Bar chef Hidde Zomer.
Gochujang is available at Asian grocers. Sempio is a popular brand. Buttermilk mixture: 4 cups (1L) buttermilk 1/4 tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg 4 sprigs finely chopped fresh thyme leaves Flour mixture: 4 cups (1L) all-purpose flour 2 tbsp (30 mL) black pepper 1 tbsp (15 mL) kosher salt 1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder KFC sauce: 2-1/2 cups (675 mL) gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste) 1-1/2 cup (375 mL) rice vinegar 1 cup (250 mL) brown sugar 2/3 cup (160 mL) soy sauce 1/2 cup (125 mL) water, room temperature 1/2 cup (125 mL) mirin (Japanese cooking wine) 1/3 cup (75 mL) vegetable oil 2 tsp (10 mL) garlic powder 1 tsp (5 mL) onion powder Cauliflower: 1 head cauliflower, washed, leaves removed, cut into bit-sized florets Salt 8 cups (2L) peanut, vegetable, or canola oil for frying 2 green onions, sliced thinly For buttermilk, in large bowl, combine buttermilk, cayenne, nutmeg and thyme. Whisk until ground spices have dissolved.
Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour or up to 4 days.
For flour mixture, in large bowl, whisk flour, pepper, salt and baking powder.
For KFC sauce, in a medium saucepan, combine gochujang, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, water, mirin, oil, garlic and onion powders. Slowly bring to a boil over mediumlow heat, whisking quickly until all powder is dissolved. Over low heat, bring to a gentle boil, whisking occasionally so sauce doesn’t burn. Cook until sauce thickens to a syrupy consistency, about 15 minutes.
Cool to room temperature before using. Store in airtight container in fridge up to 10 days.
For cauliflower, fill 2/3 of a large pot with water. Season with salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add cauliflower. Cook 1 minute. Drain. Cool to room temperature and let dry on rack or in colander.
To fry, fill large pot with oil. Heat over medium to 350 F (180 C). If you don’t have a thermometer, test temperature by lowering a wooden chopstick into the pot. If little bubbles form around the chopstick, it is ready for frying.
Put buttermilk mixture and flour mixture in separate bowls for dredging.
Toss handful of cauliflower florets in flour mixture. Shake off excess flour. Using slotted spoon, dip cauliflower into buttermilk. Let excess buttermilk drip back into bowl. Roll cauliflower in flour mixture again. Place on plate. Repeat until all florets have been coated.
In small batches, place florets in hot oil. Do not overcrowd pot. Fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate.
In large bowl, toss fried cauliflower with 3/4 cup (175 mL) KFC sauce until each floret is evenly and lightly coated.
Garnish with onions and serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings. Test kitchen tips What to do with your used frying oil: When the oil has cooled to room temperature, strain the oil through a fine sieve and into an airtight jar to use again. “The oil should smell clean. If you detect a heavy, greasy smell, or the oil becomes dark in colour, it’s time to change the oil,” Zomer says. “You can reuse the oil three or four times.” Liquid cooking oil can be disposed of in the Green Bin as long it can be absorbed by the other organic materials or paper towels. Never pour it down the sink as oil will clog your pipes. Make it ahead of time: If you’re making these for a party, chop and blanch the cauliflower, and make the KFC sauce, flour, and buttermilk mixtures the night before. DIY brown sugar: If you’re out of brown sugar, make your own by mixing 1 cup (250 mL) of granulated sugar with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of fancy molasses. Other vegetables to use in this recipe: Make a crispy veggie platter by substituting broccoli florets, eggplant and zucchini slices, sweet peppers and okra for cauliflower. Zomer recommends trying fried avocado wedges. Don’t overcrowd the pot: Dumping too much of the cauliflower into the boiling water or oil all at once lowers the temperatures, resulting in longer cooking times and a mushy veggie. The smart way to buy spices: Rather than buying jars of spices you may never use again, bring your measuring spoons to the bulk-food store and get exactly what you need. Save money and cupboard space. karon.liu@gmail.com