Cook’s notes

I intended to serve this as a side dish but cooking the main course took longer than expected so I served the cauliflower as an appetizer instead. A smart decision, really, because my growling stomach quieted down to allow me to finish the salt and pepper pork without hurrying.

So, there are two steps in cooking this dish. The first is making the sauce. I have a sweet chili sauce recipe in the archive but I didn’t use that. Instead, I made a modified sweet chili sauce by using lemon juice exclusively (no vinegar) and using chili flakes for more color but less heat.

The second part is frying the cauliflower. Cut it into florets, toss with an egg white, salt, pepper and potato starch and deep fry until lightly golden and crisp. Yes, Japanese chicken karaage-style — modified, however, with the addition of egg white. Unlike chicken, the surface of cauliflower florets lack enough moisture to make the potato starch stick. So, the florets are first moistened with egg white before they are tossed with starch.

If you have a lot of florets and your wok or frying pan is not all that large, cook the florets in batches. And remember to lay the fried florets on a rack to avoid steam buildup that will make the crust soggy faster.

This is one dish that cannot be prepared and cooked ahead. Serve it as soon as it is cooked to enjoy the cauliflower while the crust is ultra crisp.

Sprinkling toasted sesame seeds and scallions to garnish is optional but highly recommended.

Crispy cauliflower with chili lemon sauce

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Total: 20

Servings: 4 people

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Fusion

Label: Breaded and fried, Meatless

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Ingredients

Sauce

6 tablespoons white sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon rock salt
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 to 2 tablespoons chili flakes (Korean chili flakes, please!)

Cauliflower

1 cauliflower trimmed and cut into florets
1 egg white
2 teaspoons rock salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ to ⅓ cup potato starch ( the amount depends on the size of the cauliflower)
cooking oil for deep frying

Garnish

toasted sesame seeds
sliced scallions

Instructions

Make the sauce

Dump all the ingredients for the sauce into a sauce pan.
Cook over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar is melted and the mixture has thickened (it thickens as it cools so don’t boil for too long).

Fry the cauliflower

Place the cauliflower florets in a large bowl, add the egg white, salt and pepper, and toss to moisten all the florets.
Add the starch and toss thoroughly until the florets are evenly coated.
In a wok or frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of three inches. Fry the cauliflower florets until the crust is crisp.