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Gochujang Cauliflower Wings (Vegan Gluten Free)

Sweet, spicy, and sticky, these gochujang cauliflower wings are literally finger-licking good, as in I totally licked my fingers clean after each piece lol. They're coated in a gluten-free batter, cooked in an air fryer for that golden crispy crust, and then coated in a luscious gochujang based sauce.


In case you couldn't tell, these gochujang glazed cauliflower wings are inspired by one of my former favorite Korean dishes ever - the sweet and spicy Korean fried chicken! And like the Korean fried chicken, these have just the same kind of crispy crunchy "skin" with a rich sauce that brings together all my favorite flavors into one gorgeous bite, sweet, savory, spicy, tangy... I'm literally reminiscing them already as I type.


To make this recipe gluten-free, I used oat flour for the batter and puffed organic brown rice instead of panko bread crumbs. They turned out just as crispy if not more, the puffed rice added such a nice crunch to the crust!


For cooking, you can fry them in oil on a stovetop, bake in the oven, or in an air fryer. I'll include instructions for all three methods below but my recent favorite has been the air fryer version.

See the video below for a visual guide and don't forget to follow me on Instagram and Tiktok ^^


INGREDIENTS:

1 cauliflower
1 cup soy milk, or other plant milk of choice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup oat flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 cups puffed brown rice, or sub bread crumbs
Canola oil

For the sauce -
2 tablespoon gochujang paste, you can adjust to your preferred spiciness 
2 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 tablespoon water
3 garlic cloves, minced

TO MAKE:

- Wash, dry, and break the cauliflower head into bite-size pieces;
- Mix together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar, set aside to rest while you prepare the flour mixture, this will become a vegan "buttermilk";
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the oat flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt, pour in the "buttermilk" and mix till smooth and no lumps;
- Pulse the puffed rice in a processor till they resemble the texture of bread crumbs, transfer to another bowl;
- Dip each cauliflower piece in the batter first, shake off any excess, then coat it in the blended puffed rice, repeat till all the pieces are coated;
- Arrange the cauliflower pieces in a SINGLE LAYER on a baking sheet or air fryer tray, brush on a bit of canola oil;
- Air fry at 370°F for 15 minutes, then fry at 400°F for another 5 minutes;
- If oven bake, bake at 400°F for 20 - 25 minutes till golden crispy, check and flip as needed;
- If fry in oil, heat oil first, you can test the temperature by dipping a small piece in the oil, if it bubbles, then the oil is ready, fry till the pieces are golden;
- Mix together all the sauce ingredients except for the garlic;
- In a sauce pan, heat a bit canola oil over medium heat, fry the garlic till fragrant, then slowly pour in the sauce, bring to a slow simmer;
- Lower the heat to low, let the sauce thicken till your preferred consistency, add the cauliflower pieces back in the pan, stir and flip to coat all pieces evenly;
- Garnish with sesame seeds and scallion, serve immediately with your preferred dipping sauce, I used a vegan ranch sauce, or serve with rice, enjoy!

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