Crispy Korean BBQ Cauliflower Wings
Serves 4Prep 15 minCook 20 minTotal 35 min
Prep and cook times are estimates — every kitchen moves at its own pace. None significant.
Shatteringly crispy cauliflower — double-fried from a potato-starch dredge — lacquered in a sweet, sticky gochujang BBQ glaze and finished with a snowfall of sesame seeds.
This is the appetizer that disappears before dinner even starts.
Watch it made
Directions
- Break the cauliflower into florets.
- Make the sauce: combine the gochujang, agave, brown sugar, ketchup, mirin, rice vinegar, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Set aside.
- Wet batter: whisk the vegan mayo and plant-based milk together in a bowl (optional pinch of salt & pepper).
- Dry dredge: put the potato starch in a separate bowl.
- Dip each floret in the wet batter, then dredge in the potato starch.
- Heat the oil to 375°F and fry the coated cauliflower 3–4 minutes, rest on a wire rack, then fry again 5–6 minutes, until crispy and golden. Optional: hold fried batches on a wire rack in a warm oven while the rest fry — a plate steams the bottoms soggy.
- Simmer the sauce in a pan for 1–2 minutes, add the fried cauliflower, and toss to glaze. Optional: toss off the heat — the sauce should coat sticky, not simmer watery around the wings. Optional: warm the sauce before tossing — cold glaze shocks the hot crust and it slides off.
- Plate, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve.
