Korean Cauliflower

 I tried this recipe of crunchy Gochujang Cauliflower from the Korean Vegan with most of my own ingredients in my wok which is the perfect kitchen pan for this. I did swap tapioca starch for corn starch with mixed results---half of the family didn't mind and the other half claimed it was definitely not the same thing. I used my air fryer at 400 for 10 minutes twice instead of heating oil on the stove...and I didn't spray it with oil before doing teh air fryer. Maybe I'll do that next time (but probably not because I tend to not cook with oil). I didn't use any oil in this recipe at all when I made it and it still turned out amazing. I thought the flavor was amazing. The one thing I made a trip to the grocery store for was the actual gochujang, and it was my local Asian grocery store. So, now I will be looking up more recipes for using gochujang because the container I have is a lot bigger than just 1 teaspoon. If I were making this for my family again I would probably triple the recipe and defintely double the recipe at minimum, because we are a big family who all enjoy eating cauliflower. Also so I don't forget---prepping the veggies in the food processor's grater function is a must to save time. 

INGREDIENTS

  

• 1 head cauliflower -- washed and prepped into large chunks
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon paste
• 3 tablespoons plant milk
• 2 2 cups plus ½ tablespoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon vegetarian oyster sauce (I used Amy's brand vegan worcestershire sauce)
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon gochujang
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic minced
• 2 leaves red cabbage chopped (I used a combination of red and napa cabbages)
• 1 carrot chopped into very small pieces
• 2 whole scallions chopped
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Place cauliflower chunks into a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable base (I like “Better than Boullion”),together with the plant milk. Mix the cauliflower so that they are evenly coated and set the bowl aside (you can also refrigerate it overnight).
• To another large bowl, add 1 cup of corn starch (save the rest for later), ½ tablespoon of garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.  Stir everything together with a whisk and set it aside.
• Prepare the sauce in advance by whisking together the 1 teaspoon of the vegetable base, regular soy sauce, light soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, mustard, gochujang, maple syrup, and ½ tablespoon of corn starch.  
• In a very large cast iron pan or deep fryer, bring the vegetable oil to350°F.  While you are waiting for the oil to get hot, dredge some of the cauliflower in the corn starch + garlic powder mixture.  Make sure that each chunk is thickly coated with the corn starch. You want the cauliflower to be super dry.  
• Place the dredged cauliflower in the hot oil, ensuring not to crowd the pan.  You will have to work in batches and once the corn starch is all used up, add the second cup of corn starch, together with the garlic powder and black pepper, so that you can continue to fully dredge your cauliflower.
• Fry your cauliflower for approximately 3 to 5 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Remove them from the oil and place them on a cooling rack to drain the excess oil.  Repeat for the remaining cauliflower.
• Once all the cauliflower has been fried once, you can fry them all a second time(without worrying about over-crowding the pan) for extra crunch.
• Once you have completed frying all your cauliflower, begin making the sauce by adding extra virgin olive oil to a large pan over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic, onion, carrot, cabbage, and scallions to the pan. Sautee the vegetables until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Add the vegetable broth and cook for another 30 seconds.  Then, stir in the sauce you prepared earlier.  Cook the sauce over medium high heat for about 1 minute, until it gets thick.
• Turn off the heat and pour the fried cauliflower into the sauce.  Stir the cauliflower gently until they are evenly coated.  Drizzle them with a the sesame oil and sprinkle the sesame seeds. Serve immediately.