Sticky Sriracha Cauliflower Bowls + Asian Slaw
Well - we made it through a full meatless month. No cheating (except for that one drunken night + a chicken taquito) & really making an effort to incorporate a lot of whole foods into our diet so that for us, meatless equated to super nutritious at-home meals. I mean - we eat a lot of meatless meals at our house. “Veggie Enthusiasts” has become our coined term for our at-home eating habits. The whole meat thing kind of comes in with adding a cured meat to a charcuterie board or sprinkle of bacon on soup or reaching for grassfed beef when we want to power up the grill - items that feel obligatory because it’s mainstream. But we said “nah” to all of that for a whole month, & though I am very excited to break the fast with that first burger of October, I’m still heavily vibing the meatless meal routine.
This past week, I was craving a fat stir bowl Rice. Sauce. Asian flavors. My favorite things to load up in a bowl & dive into with a pair chopsticks. Continuing to get creative with cauliflower was the route I chose, specifically breaded cauliflower, & it lead me to these Sticky Sriracha Cauliflower Bowls + Asian Slaw. A super delicious, well composed rice bowl style dinner, & what my husband is calling the “the best cauliflower of all time.”
A Perfect batter
This batter is……everything. & honestly if there is anything to take away from this recipe & apply elsewhere…..it’s this batter. It’s the most perfect, crunchy batter that holds up perfectly as the caulifllower bakes. & let me tell you - there is no bigger dinnertime buzz kill than a batter that just dissipates during the cooking process. This one was super easy to work with. It’s thick, flavorful (thanks to plenty of seasoning snuck right into the batter) &, most importantly, really coats the cauliflower quite well so that you have a hearty, crunchy outer layer. It creates a surface that mimics “cauliflower wings,” so the sauce sticks & you get these sticky cauliflower pieces that kind of mimic kung pao.
The other reason this recipe is clutch - just one batter. No pre-flour dip or rolling everything in breadcrumbs after the batter is applied, so no total fucking mess. Just dip the florets into the batter, shake off the excess. & bake. I baked my cauliflower, & they turned out great. Browned, a little crispy, & a solid outer layer. Again, the batter here is just easy to work with, and super oven bake friendly. I do just want to add this batter is so good we whipped it up for buffalo cauliflower wings & fried them (as an experiment), & they were perfect! Perfet perfect batter.
Rice bowls fo’ life
I love a good ol’ Asian rice bowl of any kind, & this week I took some inspiration from one of my favorite meals - a poke bowl. But omitting the raw fish component & focusing on the mix of hot white rice, cold salad components, & a really yummy sauce. Poke bowls (in my world) always have warm sticky rice as the base & are then piled with things like seaweed salad + crisp veggies - both typically cold components that add this nice juxtaposition with the warm rice base. I wanted to do the same thing with this at-home rice bowl - add a cool, refreshing slaw that would be a raw, crunchy, & fresh component that would still taste awesome with my cauliflower nuggets.
Fast forward to a quick Asian slaw. Thinly sliced cabbage + bamboo shoots + scallions - the raw veggie components that are a quick injection of something totally fresh. & you can totally add in some corn, carrots edamame. Truth be told, I would’ve loved to add these items, but…..quarantine. All tossed together with a mixture of mayo + rice wine vinegar + soy sauce (yes - soy sauce & mayo are so good!), & you’re set.
sauce sauce sauce
The sauces here are money. & really easy to make. You slaw dressing (let’s call it sauce #1) is mayo + soy sauce + vinegar. Very very easy. Now sauce #2 - keep that soy sauce, whisk just a couple tablespoons of that with sriracha + sweet chili sauce (or honey is sweet chili sauce is a no go), and you’ve got sticky sriracha sauce. This spicy, sticky, & sweet sauce for the caulifloweer tastes lovely with you’re savory slaw. A bite of cauliflower with a little of that slaw scooped up in between chopsticks - it’s so so good! & add in that rice - just to die for. A bite of everyhting mixed together is creamy + savory + sweet, & we were here for it!
My biggest focuses when I’m cooking a meatless meal always stay the same:
1. Make it fun
2. Fill it with whole foods.
This little number checked both boxes, and chowing it down with a pair of chopsticks just mad it all the more fun. It was a vegetarian Asian rice bowl home-run that lead to us re-visiting this battered cauliflower for football Sunday buffalo cauli snacks. & the fact that we so quickly applied some of the best elements from this awesome meal to another = big win in my book.
For the cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
Non-stick cooking spray
2 c. flour
2 c. almond milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 c. sriracha
1/4 c. sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 c. white rice
2 c. water
For the slaw
1 c. mayo
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1/2 a head of cabbage, thinly sliced
2 c. bamboo shoots
2 jalapeños - 1 minced + thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 peanuts, chopped
Sesame seeds or other Asian sesame seasoning blend
Preheat the oven to 400. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment + spray lightly with a cooking spray.
In a separate bowl, mix together the batter for the cauliflower by combining the flour, milk, salt, pepper, cumin, + onion powder. Dunk in a piece of cauliflower, shake off the excess batter, + lay the cauliflower on the baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.
As the cauliflower bakes, move to making the slaw. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, soy, lime juice & sweet chili sauce. Add in the cabbage, bamboo shoots, the minced jalapeno, + 3/4 of the scallions. Toss to coat + place in the fridge.
Next, make the sauce for the cauliflower. In a large bowl, mix together the sriracha, sweet chili sauce, + soy. Set aside until the cauliflower has finished cooking.
Move to prepping the rice. My fool proof method for making rice: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Immediately add in the white rice, cooking over high heat until the water returns to a boil. Stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Lower the heat to medium low, cover, & continue cooking for 15-20 minutes, giving the rice a stir every 5 minutes or so. Lower the heat to low if you’re having an issue with the rice sticking to the bottom. Taste at 15 minutes, and stop cooking when the rice is cooked through.
When the cauliflower has finished cooking, remove the pan from the oven and immediately place the hot cauliflower in the bowl with your sauce. Gently toss to coat. Place the sauced cauliflower back in the oven for 3-5 minutes.
To arrange the bowls, fill the bottom of your bowls with 1/2 rice + 1/2 slaw. Nestle in a few pieces of cauliflower right at the intersection of slaw + rice. Top the slaw with a sprinkle or remaining peanuts + scallion, + couple slices of fresh jalapeno. Top the cauliflower with some sesame seeds or other seasoning blend. Serve with chop-sticks + enjoy!
