I am a big fan of KFC, Korean Fried Chicken especially the wings. But let’s face it frying wings makes a big mess in the kitchen and is not healthy. And eating a pig pile of fried wings is definitely not gout friendly. I have found that cauliflower can make a pretty decent substitute for chicken wings. After all, wings are just a way to get more sauce to your mouth. To try and keep this gout-friendly cauliflower wings recipe a little bit healthier we will bake.
Perhaps in the future, I will post a deep-fried version of cauliflower wings. But first, that will require more experimenting. Lots of delicious experimenting and a lot of mess in the kitchen. But first I need to work on an air fryer version.
Ingredients:
Ketchup: may seem out of place in a Korean recipe but trust me it helps to round out the flavor of the sauce. Ketchup also helps to tone down some of the heat.
Korean Red Pepper Paste or Gochujang: This is what brings the heat. Some brands are spicier than others. Most brands now have some kind of heat scale on the front. If you really want to bring the heat had some Korean red pepper flakes.
Sugar: I use raw sugar if your vegan check to make sure the one that you use has not been processed with bone char.
Potato starch: Used in the batter to help make a thin crispy layer.
Sweet rice flour: Used in the batter to add a touch of sweetness.
Garlic powder: I Will add some to the batter, never enough garlic.
White pepper: You can use black if that is what you have. White pepper prevents black funny looking spots.
Fresh garlic: This gets added to the sauce, cause its garlic.
Soy sauce: For saltiness and a bit of umami.
Sesame oil: Got to have it.
Honey or plum syrup. In the original version, I used honey. But now I prefer to use plum syrup. If your vegan uses a syrup-type sweetener that you like.
The first step is to make the sauce. This will allow time for all of the flavors to come together. In a small bowl mix together: 2 Tablespoons of Korean Red Pepper Paste or Gochujang. 2 Tablespoons of Ketchup, I know it’s not a traditional ingredient but trust me it works. 1 Tablespoon raw sugar, 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 Tablespoon of honey, 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic.
Now time for our batter. 1/4 cup sweet rice flour, 1/4 cup potato starch, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, 8 Tablespoons of water. Mix everything together. If your batter is to thick add a little more water. A thin batter works best.
Preheat your oven to 425 F or 218 C
Cut the cauliflower into wing sized pieces, toss them into the batter. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Be sure to leave a little space in between so they can cook quickly. Place then into an oven preheated to 425 F or 218 C for 30 minutes or until they start to get some spots.
After 30 minutes remove your “wings” from the oven and place them into a big bowl. Put some of the sauce on top and gently toss them. When you remove them from the pan some of the coatings will be stuck to the pan. Do not worry about that. The wings will be soft so be gentle.
After gently tossing in the sauce return them to the baking pan leaving space between each piece. Place them back into the oven for fifteen minutes. Or until they start to get some black spots. You could use the broiler to speed up this process.
This is what mine looked like right out of the oven.
Plate them up, top with sesame seeds and serve.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Gochujang Korean Red Pepper Paste
- 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoons raw sugar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoons Honey Or thick sweetener of choice
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic Fresh, finely minced
- 1/4 Cup Sweet Rice Flour
- 1/4 Cup Potato starch
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon White pepper
- 8 Tablespoons Water A little extra as needed
- 3 Cups cauliflower 1 small head
Instructions
- Make the sauce by mixing together 2 Tablespoons of Korean Red Pepper Paste or Gochujang. 2 Tablespoons of Ketchup, I know it's not a traditional ingredient but trust me it works. 1 Tablespoon raw sugar, 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 Tablespoon of honey (to make this Vegan use agave nectar), 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic.
- Make the batter by mixing together 1/4 cup sweet rice flour, 1/4 cup potato starch, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, 6 Tablespoons (90 ml) of water. Mix everything together. If your batter is to think add a little more water. This batch needed a total of 7 tablespoons, but usually 6 is enough. It depends on how I measure the other ingredients.
- Cut the cauliflower into wing size pieces.
- In a big bowl add the cauliflower and coat with your batter
- Put them on a parchment lined baking pan. Besure to leave a little space in between so they can cook quickly. Place then into an oven preheated to 425 F or 218 C for 30 minutes or until they start to get some spots.
- After 30 minutes place your "wings" into a big bowl add some sauce and toss them to coat. Return them to the baking pan leaving space between them. Place them back into the oven for 15 minutes. Or until the start to get some black spots.
- Plate them up, top with sesame seeds and serve.
