Taiwanese Popcorn Cauliflower
SERVINGS:
2 Servings
PREP TIME:
1 Hour
COOKING TIME:
15 Minutes
INGREDIENTS:
Cauliflower
1 Head
Garlic Salt
1 Tsp.
Paprika / Cayenne Pepper
1 Tsp.
White Pepper
1 Tsp.
Ground Ginger
¼ Tsp.
Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp.
Milk (Non-Dairy)
1 Cup
Sweet Potato Starch
1 Tbsp.
All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup
Basil Leaves
One Bunch
Vegetable Oil
(for drying)
SEASONING SALT:
Fine Salt
1 Tsp
Garlic Powder
1 Tsp
Ground Five-Spice
1 Tsp
Sichuan Pepper
½ Tsp
White Pepper
½ Tsp
Paprika / Cayenne Pepper
¼ Tsp
A vegan spin on Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken using cauliflower. Crispy and golden-brown on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside.
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare the Cauliflower and Seasoning Salt. First, cut the cauliflower in half and cut out bite-sized florets. In a large bowl, mix together the garlic salt, paprika/cayenne pepper, white pepper, ground ginger, soy sauce, and oat milk. Toss the cauliflower florets in the oat milk mixture. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap, and let chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the seasoning salt by mixing together all the seasoning salt ingredients.
Bread the Cauliflower. In a bowl, combine flour and sweet potato starch (the ratio is 1 cup : 1 tablespoon if you need more) and mix well. The breading process consists of a double coat, and is as follows: dip each cauliflower floret into the flour mixture, shake off excess, dip into the oat milk mixture again, shake off excess, and back into the flour mixture. Be sure to fully coat each cauliflower!
Fry the Cauliflower. Before you start frying, prepare a tray lined with a wire rack. In a medium-sized pot or wok, heat up some vegetable oil (the oil level should be high enough to cover 2/3 of the cauliflower florets). Check if the oil is hot enough (*see notes for a tip). Once the oil is hot enough, fry the cauliflower until they are golden-brown, and continue stirring to make sure they don’t stick together. Note: Be sure not to over-crowd the pot/wok! Fry the cauliflower in batches. Remember to take out the little batter crumbles in the oil between each batch — if you don’t do so the cauliflower will burn more easily. Once all the cauliflower are fried to a golden-brown, remove them from the oil and onto the wire rack to drain. Immediately sprinkle them with your seasoning salt.
Fry the Basil. Now, take your basil leaves (make sure the oil is not too hot and that the basil leaves are dry) and prepare a lid big enough to cover the whole pot. Drop the basil leaves, and immediately cover the pot with the lid — the leaves have some water content which will cause splashing when hit with hot oil. Count for 5 seconds and you can remove the lid, then take out the basil leaves. Drain together on the wire rack with the fried cauliflower.
A TIP FROM THE CHEF:
To check whether oil is hot enough, simply take a wooden chopstick and stick it vertically into the oil. If the chopstick starts bubbling immediately, the oil is ready for frying.
Photography & Original Recipe
© 2020 Chez Jorge
