Skinny Bang Bang Cauliflower
This super delicious Bang Bang Cauliflower is baked rather than fried for a skinny take on this famous recipe. The tasty sauce is sweet, spicy and a little smoky thanks to a special Korean ingredient.
Is there anything cauliflower can't do or be? I swear you can take any recipe and swap the main ingredient with cauliflower and it will turn out. It's genius.
Normally this recipe would be made with deep-fried shrimp. Now, I'm not going to sit here and try and convince you that cauliflower tastes just like shrimp. It doesn't. Not at all. End of story.
But let's be honest, bang bang shrimp is really all about the sauce, and the shrimp are there only to help you get more of the sauce in your mouth. AmIRight?
Bang bang cauliflower runs on the same concept … the cauliflower's role is to act as a vehicle for the sauce. That's it. That's all. And because of all the little nooks and crannies in the cauliflower, it does a damn good job of capturing lots of sauce.
Let's talk about this sauce …
Oh, the sauce. It's sweet, spicy and smoky. Those three little words are like music to my ears.
The secret ingredient here is something called Gochujang. It's a Korean chili paste that is slightly smoky, a little spicy and crazy delicious. I buy it at the little Asian market that is up the road from where I live. You should be able to find it at well-stocked grocery stores. If not, you can buy it here on Amazon. It's so worth picking up a jar!
I've used it before here on TEM in the Sweet Korean Paleo Chicken Thighs recipe. The truth is, once I found out about Gochujang I got a little crazy with it. The first jar I bought was gone after a week. #Obsessed
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More Delicious Cauliflower Recipes:
- Lemon Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks
- Najib's Special Lebanese Cauliflower
- Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower with Tahini Yogurt
- Golden Roasted Turmeric Cauliflower
- Cheesy Irish Cheddar Cauliflower
Skinny Bang Bang Cauliflower
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 small heads of cauliflower, cut into florets
- ½ cup milk of choice
- 1 cup panko, or sub gluten-free breadcrumbs, if needed
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper
- Minced parsley or cilantro, to garnish
The Bang Bang Sauce
- ¼ cup real mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons honey*
- 1-2 teaspoons depending on how spicy you like it gochujang , or Sriracha (gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Place the milk in a medium-sized bowl. Place the panko, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper in another medium-sized bowl.½ cup milk of choice, 1 cup panko, ¼ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper
- Using one hand for the milk and the other for the panko, dip one cauliflower floret into the milk then the panko then place it on the prepared baking sheet. You'll need to press the panko into the cauliflower a little so it sticks. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower florets.1 large or 2 small heads of cauliflower
- Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the cauliflower is brown and crispy.
- While the cauliflower is in the oven, prepare the bang bang sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.¼ cup real mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons honey*, 1-2 teaspoons depending on how spicy you like it gochujang, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- When the cauliflower comes out of the oven, drizzle it with the bang bang sauce and top with minced parsley or cilantro and serve immediately.
This cauliflower turned out great. Was wanting something crispy but lower in cal and this totally hit the spot.
FYI this recipe comes up under Gluten-free and gochujang is not normally Gluten-free – need to be sure to read the ingredients.
YUM!!! Going to scope out the Turkish place by my house where I find all of my “weird” (non-Dutch) ingredients and see if they (please please please) stock Gochujang!
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!!