Korean fried cauliflower

These delicious vegan treats rule – they’re great on a bagel with avocado and sliced tomato, or cold the next day smooshed onto a cracker with cheese. Oh, and they’re not actually fried. The many spices in this recipe can be annoying, so we’ve included an excellent alternative that uses only curry powder.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large, gorgeous head of cauliflower
• 1 cup (100g) almond meal
• ½ cup (65g) tapioca flour
• 200ml tinned coconut cream
• cooking oil spray
• kewpie mayo and tonkatsu sauce or just any peri peri or sriracha sauce, to serve

Spices

• 2 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
• 2 tsp cumin powder

Alternative spices

• 100g good curry powder

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
2. Cut the cauliflower head into nugget-sized pieces. (You can also use the leaves and stem, cut into bite-sized pieces.) Spread the cauli over two baking trays and pop both in the oven for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine the almond meal, tapioca flour and spices and whisk well to remove any lumps (I use the food processor for this).
4. Remove the cauliflower from the oven. Pour the coconut cream over the trays to coat the semi-cooked cauliflower, then scatter your magical powder over. You should have enough to coat the pieces all over, with maybe a little left over for next time. Spray lightly with cooking oil spray. Roast for 20 minutes or until charred and golden.
5. Serve with your choice of condiments.

Serves 6-8

Tips:

1. Garlic powder can be a bit difficult to find and is not to be confused with granulated garlic, which is nasty. Look for it in greengrocers and Indian spice shops.

2. I often make double the crumbing mixture, label it and freeze it for next time.

3. Be aware that cauliflower shrinks down, so you might get less than you think.

This is an edited extract from The Food Fix by Yumi Stynes and Simon Davis, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99. Photography: Cath Muscat. Buy now