Super crispy cauliflower pieces in a rich spicy sauce

My most tested recipe yet! If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I have been working on this one for a while and teasing you all with photo's of the testing process. Well, the wait is over – the recipe is finally here, and I couldn't be happier with this recipe. The cauliflower is super crunchy, the sauce is spicy and rich perfectly offset by the creamy lemony ranch dressing and crunchy cucumber. One of my top five favourite recipes on my blog.

Yes you might notice that this is yet another cauliflower masquerading as chicken recipe! But I don't think there is too much of a good thing and fried cauliflower is without a doubt, a most excellent thing. You get that indulgent take-away taste and honestly it's hard to believe that all you are eating is the humble cauliflower. Honestly what can't cauliflower do?

I've kept the sauce super simple here, juts three ingredients and yes one of them is butter. So to be upfront we are putting a butter sauce on something deep-fried (no wonder it tastes good) so maybe this is not a super healthy recipe,but definitely a delicious one. Everything in moderation! You can adjust the amount of butter you add to the sauce but seriously the more butter the better. If butter freaks you out, or you are vegan, I have included a delicious butter free sauce made from soaked cashews (see image below). It's doesn't taste exactly the same but it is equally delicious - just in a different way. it’s not as rich without the butter but creamier from the smoked cashews. There is also an avocado ranch (vegan) dressing at the end of the recipe if thats more your thing.

I've tested this recipe in a number of different way including making a large buffalo burger out of cauliflower steak (see image below) and turning it into a taco. Both delicious! But the salad version is my favourite as it's a bit lighter which means I can eat more before I get full! But by all means experiment away with this recipe – just don't forgot the ranch dressing as it's needed to offset the buffalo sauce.

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower with Ranch Dressing

Prep time: 50 minutes

Serves: 4 as a meal, 6- 8 as a shared started

Dietary guide

Vegan version: Please see the need of the recipe for a (delicious!) vegan recipe.

Gluten free version: To make this recipe gluten free replace the plain flour with rice flour and the bread crumbs with either gluten free or sour dough bread crumbs.

FODMAP friendly version: Use broccoli (heads only) instead of cauliflower. Replace the plain flour with rice flour and the breadcrumbs with gluten free or sour dough bread crumbs. Omit the garlic from the ranch dressing and use lactose free dairy products if needed. Omit the sliced shallot when serving

Ingredients

For the Buffalo Cauliflower:

1 small cauliflower (about 350-400g), cut into bite-sized florets

½ cup corn flour

½ cup all-purpose flour (plus an extra ¼ cup for dusting the cauliflower)

1 cup cold beer, soda water, or plain water

½ teaspoon baking powder

2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Vegetable oil for frying (around 700ml)

For the Buffalo sauce:

1 cup hot sauce (e.g., Franks)

½-1 cup salted butter (adjust for richness)

¼ cup sugar

For the Ranch Dressing:

¼ cup buttermilk (or substitute ¼ cup milk mixed with 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice)

½ cup sour cream

½ cup good quality mayonnaise (e.g., Best Foods Real Mayonnaise)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Zest of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, creamed (instructions below)

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon American mustard (optional)

For Serving:

1 cucumber, shaved into strips

1 golden shallot, sliced into very thin rounds

A mix of fresh herbs (dill, parsley, and chopped chives)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Ranch Dressing:

Cream the garlic: Grind the garlic clove and ½ teaspoon of salt in a mortar and pestle until it forms a rough paste. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and mix until creamy.

In a mixing bowl, combine the creamed garlic, buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, chives, lemon zest, salt, and mustard. Adjust seasoning to taste and add more milk/buttermilk to thin if needed. Set aside.

2. Prepare the Batter and Coating:

In a shallow mixing bowl, whisk together the corn flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder. Slowly mix in the cold beer until a batter forms.

In a separate bowl, mix the extra all-purpose flour with a sprinkle of salt. Place the Panko bread crumbs in another bowl.

Line up the three bowls in order: flour mixture, batter, and bread crumbs.

3. Coat the Cauliflower:

Toss the cauliflower florets in the plain flour mixture, then dip them into the batter, ensuring even coating. Allow excess batter to drip off and transfer the cauliflower to the bread crumbs, coating evenly. Set aside on a plate.

4. Fry the Cauliflower:

Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan to around 180 degrees Celsius (350°F).

Fry the cauliflower in batches of 3-4 pieces at a time until golden and crispy (about 1-2 minutes). Drain on paper towels.

5. Prepare the Buffalo Sauce:

Whilst the cauliflower is frying make the buffalo sauce, In a small pan, gently warm the hot sauce, salted butter, and sugar until the butter melts. Mix well and set aside.

6. Coat with Buffalo Sauce:

Reheat the buffalo sauce if needed and place it in a large mixing bowl. Add the fried cauliflower pieces and toss to coat evenly.

7. Serve:

Transfer the coated cauliflower to a serving platter or individual plates. Scatter shaved cucumber, shallot rounds, and fresh herbs around. Drizzle ranch dressing over the cauliflower. Serve with extra ranch dressing on the side.

Enjoy your delicious Buffalo Cauliflower!

Vegan version

To make the recipe vegan substitute the traditional buffalo sauce with a vegan cashew-based sauce and substitute the ranch dressing with an avocado ranch- both recipes below. Alternatively you can use store-bought vegan mayo instead of the avocado in the recipe below.

For Vegan Buffalo Sauce:

1 cup (140g) raw cashews, soaked overnight

½ cup hot sauce (e.g., Franks)

¼ cup sugar or maple syrup

Drain and rinse the soaked cashews. In a blender, combine the cashews, hot sauce, and sugar/maple syrup. Blend until smooth. Adjust the sweetness and spiciness to your preference. Set aside.

For the vegan avocado ranch dressing

1 avocado

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Zest of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 garlic clove

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon American mustard (optional)

2-4 tablespoons of water to thin

First cream the garlic: Grind the garlic clove and ½ teaspoon of salt in a mortar and pestle until it forms a rough paste. Add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil and mix until creamy.

Using a hand-held immersion blender and a small container, blend the avocado, ½ teaspoon of the creamed garlic, dill, chives, lemon zest, salt, and mustard. Adjust the seasoning to suit your taste. Add more water if needed to achieve the desired consistency.