This roasted cauliflower is a quick and easy vegetarian side which goes a notch up with the mindblowing flavors of Chinese five spice. It is the tastiest quick fix side for a weeknight meal!
This five spiced roasted cauliflower is a vegan & vegetarian’s delight; plus this is so insanely delish that these cute roasted cauliflower florets will equally delight everyone up – vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.
The Chinese five spice creates some sort of magic and make the simple roasted cauliflowers incredibly tasty. Not that we are not fond of cauliflower (our very own Aloo Gobi is quite close to our heart!), but this roasted cauliflower brings in a nice change and kick to our taste buds!
I threw in some toasted peanuts to add some crunch on my hub’s suggestion and that made it a killer combo. The crispy-outside and succulent-inside texture of roasted cauliflower with crunchy toasted peanuts will make you fall in love with life, once again!
Things have again started to become a bit hectic this side. The schedule of my day job has changed a bit which forced me to cut short my late nights. So, my marathon blogging has become a little slow in past 2 weeks, but I will speed up soon I promise.
I simply can’t resist to come here and chit chat with you guys while sharing what’s cooking in my kitchen. I do plan to start on videos but not sure when as the set up requires some planning and we are still in that planning phase. Some day for sure!
If I come to think of videos, I really wonder which one will be my very first video to shoot! That will be a tough call! There are so many favorite recipes of mine; whom shall I give more preference over the other! Ah that’s confusing! Will tackle it later!
Let’s come back to the roasted cauliflower now! No, that’s not justice for this delicious dish! This is Five spiced crispy roasted cauliflowers with crunchy peanuts which we are talking about today and now the name sounds right!
Five spice powder is a specialized Chinese spice blend available in most of the major supermarkets. It has a real strong pungency which suits our Indian taste buds really well. It complemented the cauliflower wonderfully and we all instantly fell in love with the aroma it created. This five spiced roasted cauliflower is very easy and quick to cook.
Once the cauliflowers are roasted in the oven, more than half of the job is done. Give them a final toss in a wok with peanuts, five spice powder mix and serve with a good sprinkling of sautéed garlic for immense flavor and spring onion greens for super freshness! You are sorted!
Cauliflower gaining so much popularity in recent times, I am sure this roasted cauliflower recipe would also be loved by all thanks to its uniqueness and ease of making. Cauliflower is a real superfood and it hadn’t got its due respect until recently.
Even though it is a very common veggie in Indian households since ages, I haven’t ever taken it very seriously. I can still recall how I used to get annoyed looking at the bowl of aloo gobi which used to appear on our dinner table way too frequently during winter season when I was little.
Now with internet overflowing with cauliflower recipes, I am happy to try this super veggie in thousand different ways like this Chinese five spiced roasted cauliflower. I am sure you will love this vegetarian delicacy too which has all the goodness to win over your heart instantly! Enjoy!
- Cauliflower – 1 head, (about 500 gms)
- Vegetable oil – 4 tbsp + more for frying the garlic
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Five spice powder – ½ tsp
- Dry red chillies – 4 to 6
- Garlic – 8 to 10 cloves, finely chopped
- Soy sauce – 2 tsp
- Spring onions – 2 to 4, chopped
- Peanuts – ¼ cup, lightly toasted
- Freshly chopped coriander leaves – a handful for garnishing
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat your oven to 230 C / 450 F and place the wire rack on the lower level. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with a cooking oil.
- Cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets. Toss them nicely in 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil until thoroughly coated.
- Place the cauliflower florets on the prepared baking sheet reserving the excess oil. Make sure to keep enough gap between florets so they are not touching each other.
- Roast the cauliflower for 10 minutes, then take them out and give a light stir to ensure even browning and roast again for another 5 to 10 minutes until they are browned all over. Remove from oven and let them cool slightly on the pan.
- In a small bowl, stir together salt, sugar, pepper and five spice powder until well combined. Set it aside.
- Add the chopped garlic in a wok and then add just enough oil to almost cover the garlic. Sauté them gently on medium-low heat until golden. Take out the garlic using a sautéed spoon (or strain them), reserving the garlic oil for another use. Put the wok back on to medium-high heat retaining the left over garlic oil coating on the wok for more garlicy flavor.
- Add dried chilies to the wok and toast until darkened slightly and becomes smoky. Add roasted cauliflower, toasted peanuts and sprinkle the five spice seasoning evenly all over. Pour the soy sauce around the edges of the wok.
- Toss quickly until all the cauliflower florets are thoroughly coated. Turn the heat off, add half of the fried garlic and chopped spring onion and toss thoroughly to combine.
- Serve the roasted cauliflower with crunchy peanuts on a plate and sprinkle with the remaining fried garlic and green onions. Serve immediately on its own as an appetizer or as a side dish.
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