Najib’s Special Lebanese Cauliflower
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Najib’s Special Lebanese Cauliflower is EXACTLY like the famous cauliflower from Nuba restaurant in Vancouver. It’s lemony, delicious, and served with a simple tahini sauce. It is totally irresistible!
Najib’s Special Lebanese Cauliflower is nothing short of legendary in Vancouver. Say the words “Najib’s cauliflower” to anyone who’s spent time in the city, and you’ll immediately hear a passionate monologue about crispy edges, tangy lemon, and why Nuba is basically a civic treasure. The devotion is real—and honestly, it’s deserved.
This cauliflower hits every note: gently crisp on the outside, creamy and tender on the inside, and absolutely bursting with flavor. It tastes like roasted cauliflower’s wildly overachieving cousin, finished with a generous squeeze of lemon and a shower of flaky salt, just like they serve it at Nuba. The result is bold, bright, and deeply satisfying in that way that makes you keep “just one more piece”-ing until the plate is empty.
If you don’t live near Vancouver—or you simply want that Nuba magic at home—this version delivers. It tastes exactly like Najib’s Special Cauliflower, and every time I make it, it takes me straight back to the restaurant. You’ll need a high-heat oil (avocado is my go-to, though peanut, canola, or sunflower all work), one large head of cauliflower (keep it completely dry—no rinsing!), a light coating of cornstarch for that crisp shell, and plenty of lemon and flaky salt to finish. Simple ingredients, iconic flavor.
Also, be sure to try my bang bang cauliflower and our kung pao cauliflower!
Safely deep fry
- Never leave a pot of oil unattended. It won’t take long for the oil to burn and it can catch fire. Keep your eyes on it at all times.
- If you’re working with a deep fryer, make sure whatever you put into it is 100% dry. Any water will cause the oil to splatter.
- If you’re frying in a pan, make sure it has high sides. When you add the cauliflower, the oil will bubble, and you don’t want it to boil over.
- Clear the area around your stove before you start, also make sure little children or pets aren’t around in case of splatter.
Tips for deep-frying cauliflower
- Use a neutral-flavored oil. The oil’s flavor transfers to whatever you’re frying, so choose something mild. I like avocado oil, but canola or sunflower oil also works well.
- Start with clean oil. You can reuse frying oil by letting it cool and straining it, but once it looks dark or smells off, it’s time to discard it.
- Maintain a steady temperature. Keep a close eye on your thermometer and adjust the heat as needed. For this recipe, aim for about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s best if the oil is just a few degrees hotter before adding the cauliflower, since the temperature will drop slightly once it’s added.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Frying too many pieces at once lowers the oil temperature, causing the cauliflower to absorb excess oil and become greasy rather than crisp.
Najib’s Special Lebanese Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
- High-heat oil (for frying – avocado oil works great)
- 1 medium head of cauliflower (cut into small florets – do NOT wash the cauliflower!)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 lemon (sliced)
- Sea salt
- Optional: cilantro or parsley to garnish
The Tahini Sauce
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove (grated)
- A pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Add 2 inches of oil to a medium sized pot with high sides. Attach a candy/ deep-fry thermometer to the side. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches degrees 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Lower the heat to medium and let the oil continue to heat until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.High-heat oil
- Toss the cauliflower with the cornstarch. This will ensure it is completely dry and safe to deep-fry. Fry the cauliflower, several pieces at a time, for 5-7 minutes, or until the cauliflower is golden brown and soft. Remove the cauliflower pieces from the hot oil and set them on a paper towel lined tray. Keep them warm on low heat in your oven while you fry the rest.1 medium head of cauliflower, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- While the cauliflower is frying, prepare the tahini sauce by mixing all the tahini sauce ingredients together with two tablespoons of water.2 tablespoons tahini, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 small garlic clove, A pinch of sea salt
- Once all the Lebanese cauliflower has finished frying, squeeze a generous amount of lemon juice over the cauliflower and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve with extra lemon wedges on the side and a little cilantro or parsley over the top.Sea salt, Optional: cilantro or parsley to garnish, 1 lemon
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
What can you accompany this dish with?
Just about anything! Most often I serve this as an appetizer. But it’s also great beside chicken as a side dish.
As a lebanese I find it hilarious people pay nuba for fried cauliflower. Definitely make it at home. Super easy recipe, no one would pay that much for it at home
The restaurant scene here in Houston, Texas has become quite expensive lately, especially at Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill. It’s our favorite restaurant, but we haven’t been able to afford it lately. We’re going to have to cook our own dishes for a while, because I have a hard time eating out when it costs more than we can spend. Copying recipes is much easier than going to restaurants that are too expensive for us. I’m sure we can figure out how to make something from the Fadi’s menu at home and still save money.
Eating out is SO expensive these days. Ugh. I hope this cauliflower reminds you of a dish from your favorite restaurant!
Can’t wait to try this. Ate at Nuba last week and the cauliflower was out of this world.
Try adding a bit of sumac to the sauce.
Incredible! It does taste just like at the restaurant. I’m feeling very accomplished after making this recipe. It is very simple…because I had your recipe to follow. Thanks very much for documenting your exploration and discovery. Delicious!
Made this today and it’s just perfect!
So delicious!
Yay!!
Just curious, I love this dish and judging by the reviews you’ve done a great job replicating it, but it seems a but crazy to me that a Lebanese cauliflower dish would have zero spices in it… No cumin, sumac or anything!?
The squeeze of lemon juice and a little dip into the tahini sauce is all the cauliflower needs. It’s really good. But I do think that a sprinkle of sumac after you fry the cauliflower would be delicious. 🙂
Hi!!
I am sooooo excited to make this tonight! I need to go the baked route, despite knowing the texture will be less delicious. Could you advise what temp and for how long I should put it in? Do I still use corn starch?
Thanks so much!
When I roast cauliflower I cook it at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. You might want to check out this recipe for roasted cauliflower. 🙂 https://www.theendlessmeal.com/easy-roasted-italian-cauliflower/
This recipe is dead on! I make
It an air fryer and turns out perfect and the most closest I’ve ever gotten to Nuba!
So great to know this can be made in an air fryer!!
I want to try making this in my air fryer. Did you toss the cauliflower in a little bit of oil before putting it in the air fryer? Did you still use the cornstarch?
Thank you for the help!
I just ate this at Nuba last night and this morning I woke up to try and find a recipe to make it. The cauliflower and the carrot dip riddled my dreams last night. I’m so glad I found this! Thank you!!
It’s really the best, isn’t it?!!
So simple and delicious I all but dream about this fabulous dish.
That makes me so happy to hear!
This sounds like a lovely recipe and I really want to try it! Unfortunately, I don’t have a cooking thermometer. Is there any other way I can estimate when the oil is hot enough to use?
Yes! Take a small piece of bread and put it into the oil. If it browns in 1 minute then the oil is hot enough. If the oil starts to smoke at all immediately remove it from the heat.
This turned out REALLY well. I used a Philips air fryer – 12 minutes at 390 degrees. Additionally I used curry flavored olive oil and two teaspoons of Ellbee’s Asian Zing gourmet garlic. Amazing. The tahini sauce coagulated when I added the lemon juice but some extra olive oil and water did the trick. Yum!
Such a great idea to use an Air Fryer! I seriously need to get one. 🙂
Right on the dot.Best & excellent- SAHTINE
Thanks so much!
Thanks! I made this tonight, followed your instructions and everything went just perfectly. I have largely avoided deep frying in an open pan – my father once started to make fries and then fell asleep on the couch with fairly disastrous results so I’ve had a fear ever since. Thankfully your great oil temp instructions gave me the confidence to do this without undue anxiety (though I did make sure I had a lid and silicone mitts handy just in case…
Delicious, and just like Nuba. I will make this again for sure!
I’m so happy you liked it! And I hope your dad was ok after that incident. That’s scary!
I am making this as I type, without Tahini sauce. We love Nuba and this cauliflower dish! I cannot keep the heat at 300 Celcius, as well as I prefer not to completely kill the nutrition of the cauliflower. LOVE THIS!!! my fire alarm went off. I am keeping all doors and windows open until this is done.
Isn’t Nuba cauliflower the best? I hope you love my version just as much!!
The temps are in fahrenheit!! 300C is 572F! No wonder you’re having trouble.
You’re absolutely right! I hadn’t caught that in the last comment. Heating the oil that high would be dangerous! I’ll have a look thought the post to see if there is any way I can make that more clear. Thank you for noting that!