Easy Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
by: claire cary
This sticky sesame cauliflower is like your favorite Chinese takeout, but better. It's easy to make, gluten free, vegan, and perfect as a simple entree or an appetizer for a crowd.
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Ingredients
Cauliflower:
- 1 large head cauliflower 6-7 cups chopped
- ⅔ cup rice flour white or brown
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoon plain gluten free breadcrumbs can sub regular
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil olive, avocado, refined coconut etc.
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup*
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- ½ tablespoon arrowroot starch*
- 1 tablespoon cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, arrowroot starch (see notes for substitutions), garlic powder and non-dairy milk. Be sure to mix until no clumps remain and it looks like batter. If it seems too thick, whisk in a few extra tablespoons of milk.
- Add the chopped cauliflower florets into the bowl and carefully mix to coat all of the pieces. Alternatively, you can add the batter and cauliflower to a large plastic bag and shake it up to coat everything.
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkle on top the breadcrumbs and bake for 30 minutes.
- During the final 5-10 minutes, prepare the sauce.
- Mince the garlic very finely and add to a saute pan with neutral oil. Saute for about 2-3 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- Whisk in the sesame oil, grated ginger, honey or maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sriracha. Let simmer over low heat.
- *Only follow this step if using maple syrup and not honey.* If using honey, the sauce should thicken on its own naturally. In a small bowl, whisk together the arrowroot powder and water. Pour into the pot with the sauce.
- Let simmer over low heat until thick, whisking occasionally to prevent any clumps from forming. Once thick, remove from heat.
- When the cauliflower is done, let cool for about 5 minutes and then coat with the sauce. At this point it is done cooking, but you can put it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp up if desired.
- Sprinkle with chives, sesame seeds and enjoy!
Notes
You can use either honey or maple syrup for this recipe, but honey does get a bit stickier which works well in this sauce. However, either is perfectly delicious!
Larger florets work best for this recipe. I don't recommend cutting them too small because they tend to get mushy as they bake.
The arrowroot starch can be subbed for corn starch or tapioca starch.
For a lower sugar option, you can cut back on the maple syrup or honey a bit, though this will change the flavor slightly.
Serving: 1/4 of the recipe / Calories: 340kcal / Carbohydrates: 45g / Protein: 7.8g / Fat: 8.3g / Fiber: 5.7g / Sugar: 18g
