More bang for your buck: Homemade bang bang cauliflower

We all love a Wagamama, but since lockdown hit, it feels wrong to pump our money into the big restaurant chains. so, pop to your local greengrocers instead, buy yourself a cauliflower, and make your very own at home.

Bang Bang cauliflower is ALWAYS at the top of my Wagamama order. And don’t get me wrong, I love Wagas as much as the next person, but spending a fiver (£5.25 to be exact!) on approximately 4 florets of cauliflower is bit ridiculous. In fact – and you can call me dramatic – it’s daylight robbery. Luckily, after a play around in the kitchen, I came up with a super quick, super easy Bang Bang Cauliflower recipe, which only takes 40 minutes and tastes even better than the real thing (well, in my opinion anyway). It’s so good, it bangs twice. The satay dressing also adds another level of flavour and texture. Take that, Wagamama.

Ingredients (Serves 2 as a side):

For the cauliflower:

1. 1 large cauliflower, broken into bitesize florets

2. 3 tbsp olive oil

3. 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

4. 3 tbsp teriyaki sauce

5. 2 tsp sesame seeds

6. 3 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled (optional)

For the peanut dressing:

1. 2 tbsp peanut butter (crunchy, of course)

2. 1 tsp sriracha (or more, if you’re feeling feisty)

3. 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce

4. 2 tsp white wine vinegar

5. Juice of half a lime

6. 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled

7. 1 thumb fresh ginger

8. 2 tsp sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Arrange the cauliflower (and garlic cloves, if using) on a large baking tray, and drizzle over with oil, sweet chilli, teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds. Toss the florets in the sauces until fully coated and spread into an even layer.

2. Roast for around 35-40 minutes until tender and slightly charred, turning every 15 minutes or so to re-coat the cauliflower in the sauce.

3. Meanwhile, place all the peanut dressing ingredients into a blender, and blitz into a paste. Add a tablespoon of boiling water, and blitz again until it forms a ‘drizzleable’ consistency (this may require another spoonful or so of water).

4. Once the cauliflower is ready, generously drizzle over with dressing. Serve with sliced spring onions and fresh coriander.