Recipe Swap: Bang Bang Cauliflower

Time for another Recipe Swap! This month's theme was Super Bowl snacks/appetizers. I had a hard time narrowing down my choices from my friend Mary Ellen's blog. She has a ton of great appetizers and dips that I wanted to make, but since I didn't host a Super Bowl party I didn't want to make something that would yield too many leftovers. I finally settled on Bang Bang Cauliflower because (1) I'm on a cauliflower kick lately and (2) I love anything made in the Bang Bang style a la Bonefish Grill.

This was addictively good. I made it as a snack on Super Bowl Sunday and we had to stop ourselves from eating a whole (small) head of cauliflower in one sitting. This was incredibly easy to make, although I wish I'd made a double batch of the Bang Bang sauce. I thought using a small head of cauliflower I'd be OK with one batch but there wasn't enough of the sauce (for my tastes) to go around. This is best served piping out from the fryer so only make as much as you think you'll eat. I attempted to reheat leftovers and it was a big, fat fail.

SP told me if I was going to make this for a party he'd recommend cutting the cauliflower pieces into even smaller florets, just to make it easier for people to eat. I'm already thinking this would be a great dinner entree - you could batter and fry some other veggies like zucchini, onion, parboiled potatoes or sweet potatoes, or carrots to make it more of a complete meal.

The only change I made was to sub the Bang Bang sauce recipe I used for these Bang Bang chicken skewers since I had all the ingredients on hand (and knew we liked the flavor). This was a definite winner. Thanks for an awesome dish, Mary Ellen!

Bang Bang Cauliflower
As seen on Mary Ellen’s Cooking Creations

Batter
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup cold water
1 3/4 cup flour, sifted

Bang-Bang Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
2-4 teaspoons sriracha, or more to taste

1 small head cauliflower or half a regular head, cut into florets
vegetable or canola oil
2 scallions, chopped

Place the egg yolks in a large bowl. Add cold water gradually and blend well. Add the flour all at once and stir briefly so it's all mixed, but still has lumps and clumps. Make the batter as soon as you are ready to start cooking - you don't want it sitting around.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a large bowl big enough to toss all the cauliflower with it later.

Heat oil in a large pan about 1/4 inch deep. Dip cauliflower into the batter, and then drop it into very hot oil. Cook a few minutes per side until crispy and golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain. Toss with the sauce and top with the scallions.

To see what other Super Bowl snacks/appetizers were made for the swap click on the links below.