Authentic Cauliflower Tempura w/ Red Yuzo Kosho Sauce

Little did I know what a major scavenger hunt for ingredients lay ahead, but neither did I know what a delicious, authentic-tasting dish they would make.

Yes, it's fried. But the homemade tempura batter is fresh and light, and the use of new grapeseed oil left no residual greasy taste or feel.

Order the ingredients online, or have fun visiting your local Asian markets. I found everything locally except one item: the Red Yuzo Kosho. Ordered from Amazon, it arrived promptly from the importer with just a taped label in Japanese on the bottle ~ doesn't get much more authentic than that!

My Paleo Marin Rating: 5 Persimmons

Ingredients:

Red Yuzo Kosho

For the Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced on a fine grater
3 tablespoons Red Yuzo Kosho
1/4 cup mirin

For the Tempura Batter:

1 cup (140 gm) tempura flour or batter mix, preferably Dynasty Gluten-Free Tempura Batter Mix
1 large egg yolk
1 scant cup (150 grams) potato starch
1 cup + 3 tablespoons (150 grams) Karaago Ko (Japanese wheat flour) or Cup4Cup flour for gluten-free

For the Cauliflower:

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into 2-inch florets (soaked in cold water for 30 minutes then drained)
3 cups of grapeseed oil, preferably Napa Valley Naturals Grapeseed Oil

For the garnish:

Toasted sesame seeds
Lime wedges

Directions:

For the Sauce:

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, add the gochujang, sugar, garlic, red yuzu kosho, mirin and 1 cup of water. Stir and cook down for about 20 minutes until the mixture is thickened. Set aside.

For the Tempura Batter:

Fill a pitcher with 3 cups of ice water and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the tempura flour or batter mix with the egg yolk, and add 1 cup of the ice cold water. Whisk to blend. Add the potato starch, Kaarago Ko wheat flour, and 3/4 cup of water. Mix and add more water until the batter is the consistency of thin pancake batter. I used about 2 1/2 cups of water.

For the Cauliflower:

1. Heat 3 cups of grapeseed oil in a dutch oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat as many pieces of cauliflower with the batter that will fit in one layer in the pan. Fry, turning occasionally, until the cauliflower is almost cooked through and the batter is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Place cooked pieces on a baking sheet covered with paper towels. Repeat until all the cauliflower pieces are cooked.

2. Dip the cauliflower pieces in the sauce, shake to drain, and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. For a less-spicy option, serve the fried cauliflower pieces with a small bowl of sauce on the side; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Either way, they are delicious.

Serve with lemon wedges.

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Recipe adapted from New York Times recipe here.

My Paleo Marin Rating 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.