Baking
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Who knew cauliflower could be this much fun? Golden, crunchy crumbed cauliflower meets cool, tangy tartare sauce in this delicious Slovakian favourite. They serve it as a meat-free main alongside boiled or mashed potato, it would also be perfect as a nibble, or side dish. It’s comfort food with a crispy little twist. Even cauliflower sceptics might come back for seconds!
You can vary flavours for a more adult taste wherever you like – add some smoked paprika to the flour and some fresh herbs (or dried) to the crumbs. Some parmesan to the crumb mix would also be delicious.
Recommended by my Slovakian friend Mimi.
Ps. a fun way to introduce kids to this vegetable - kids love anything crumbed don't they!
Serves 2- 4. V.DF.
Pictured: Crumbed cauliflower schnitzels
Ingredients
- ½ cauliflower – sliced lengthways, a few mm’s thick
- ¼ cup plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup dried crumbs – panko* is the best
- Sea salt flakes and pepper
- For a gluten free version –
- 1/3 cup or more gluten free mayonnaise
- ½ cup panko style rice crumbs
- Tartare sauce, the Slovakian way –
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 gherkins, finely chopped
- ½ lemon, juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional –
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- *Panko crumbs are Japanese dried breadcrumbs that are super crunchy as they are made from white bread without the crusts. So, they are lighter and airier and absorb less oil.
- Amounts will vary for the above depending on how much cauliflower you would like to cook. Add more where necessary.
- The process is the same for crumbing anything like schnitzels or fish; place flour, egg and crumbs into separate bowls (flat ones are best) -
- 1. dip the sliced cauliflower into the flour first covering both sides, shake off excess
- 2. dip the floured cauliflower into the egg mix, shake off excess
- 3. dip lastly into the crumb mix and cover completely in crumbs, patting it in
- A trick to keeping at least one hand clean it to use one hand for placing the cauliflower into the flour and the other for the egg and crumbs only.
- Is making the gluten free version – spread the mayonnaise over the cauliflower pieces then roll in rice crumbs.
- Make the tartare sauce – mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Check for seasoning
Method
Heat some light olive oil or vegetable oil in a wide fry pan to cover the bottom entirely, med –high heat. Once it it hot enough, place the cauliflower (or schnitzels/fish) in the pan and cook 1 min each side at least – til golden brown basically. If it is taking a long time the heat may not be high enough, or if browns/burns really fast the heat may be too high, so keep an eye on the first batch to adjust the temperature. The cauliflower is best cooked at medium heat to allow the raw ingredient to cook through, and depending on how thick you sliced it. I like to cook schnitzels and fish at a high heat and fast as they tend to need flash frying to keep fresh and moist.
Season each side once golden. (I like to season crumbed dishes after cooking).
For a healthier cooking method, you can try grilling or baking in a hot oven with a spray of oil.
Dietary preferences
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-Free with ingredient checks
- Gluten-Free with substitutions
