The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
KOREAN FRIED CAULIFLOWER
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
I love making this dish with meat, fish or vegetables: there is something rather interesting about gochujang, the Korean condiment made from red chilli and fermented glutinous rice. It has a sweet addictive kick to it and can be used for all sorts of dishes – it’s well worth keeping a pot in your fridge or freezer.
In case you’re wondering what the leaf is on top, it’s Vietnamese coriander, which I grow in my garden. It started off as a couple of plant plugs and now I’ve got a whole bush of it. I cut it and re-root the stalks after trimming the leaves and it grows back like crazy.
INGREDIENTS
For the sauce
– 1 tbsp gochujang
– 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
For the cauliflower
– 100g gluten-free self-raising flour
(I use Doves Farm)
– a small head of cauliflower, trimmed and washed – vegetable or corn oil
for frying
– 1 tsp white sesame seeds or a mix of black and white
– a few sprigs of coriander or Vietnamese coriander
METHOD
Mix the sauce ingredients together with enough water for a coating consistency.
Whisk the flour with enough water to make a smooth batter and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Cut the cauliflower into florets (halve them if they are large). Cook them in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes until just cooked, then drain and refresh in cold water and dry on some kitchen paper.
Preheat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a large thick-bottomed saucepan or electric deep-fat fryer. Test a piece of the cauliflower in the batter to ensure it sticks and is not too heavy – you can adjust accordingly with more flour or water.
Mix the cauliflower with the batter a few pieces at a time, depending on the size of your fryer. Fry them, turning them in the oil with a slotted spoon until golden, then remove from the oil and drain on some kitchen paper and continue with the rest of the cauliflower.
To serve, arrange the cauliflower on a serving dish, spoon over the spicy sauce, then scatter with the sesame seeds and the coriander.