Fried vegan bbq cauliflower is the perfect compliment to this comfort dish
Polenta is a popular dish in my household, and if you ever take me to brunch, just make sure polenta is on the menu because that too is my go-to (before switching over to plant-based, I used to get the Truffle Polenta dish at Lido NY… great times). Polenta is the perfect base for a light meal, especially when you are going for a creamy and savory dish. I’ve paired this dish with varying sizes of fried cauliflower, to provide a crunchy texture to the smooth taste of the polenta. The au jus is the perfect topping. I hope you enjoy this comfort dish! Leave a comment below if you intend to or have tried this dish.
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Ingredients
🌽 Polenta vs Grits
My first time having grits was at the historic Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles out in Los Angeles. The whole place was smoky with fried chicken frying in the kitchen, which created an environment of dining at someone’s home. I got a side of grits – with butter and cheese. Now you know where I stand with how I think grits should be dressed!
Grits are a popular dish in the Black community, in fact, there is often a debate with whether the dish should be savory or sweet, instant grits or stovetop cooked, topped with protein, or served as a side dish. Reminds me of an age-old jollof rice debate. But however, you dress it grits is dish that you can serve that everyone will gravitate to.
Grits are made from finely ground white corn (hominy), whereas polenta is made from ground yellow corn.
I went with Polenta for this dish because polenta is a little coarser which allows for more texture. Polenta cools much faster as well, so be sure to pay attention to the liquid water ratio as you follow the recipe.
Fried Vegan BBQ Cauliflower and Mushroom Au Jus
Prior to a couple of months ago, I’ve always been skeptical or fried cauliflower recipes. Mainly because every time that I would follow the recipe, I would get breaded cauliflower – the crunch (sound) and texture (touch) were not there. Have I tried all the fried cauliflowers out there? No – however, it was enough to frustrate me.
Enter Ebonie over at New Plate Loading, an interactive virtual platform for learning how to cook Jamaican influenced Vegan comfort food. I took her plantain waffle and fried “chicken” (cauliflower) class last month to learn new cooking techniques and to support a fellow blogger. I had panko flakes at home but used them for everything other than breading. Prior to taking Ebonie’s class, I used to toss my cauliflower or mushrooms in cornstarch.
For the BBQ coating, I used Korean bbq for a sweet garlicky flavor, however you can choose whatever type of bbq sauce you want. If the sauce is too thick, just thin it out with some water.
🚄 The Many Moving Parts
Before making this dish, it’s important to go in knowing that there will be several tasks that you will need to focus on simultaneously. Do not get overwhelmed! Here are some tips to keep you in check.
- Remember to mise in place! Mise en place is a French culinary term that means to put in place. Have all your items measured and prepped in bowls so that you are not constantly opening drawers and cabinets looking for ingredients or tools.
- Finish one task before the other if you do not want to feel overwhelmed
- Break your cauliflower into bite-size pieces for faster friying
- Save the polenta for last, as mentioned earlier, polenta cools really quickly
- Warm-up your BBQ sauce before tossing in your fried vegan bbq cauliflower
🍽️ Plating
For that restaurant feel, plating your dish for visual appeal is important. Food is sensory, and this dish captures all 5 – seeing, touching, tasting, hearing and smell. This dish is interactive and is sure to be a conversation piece.
- Spoon your polenta into a wide bowl, lightly pressing your spoon down to spread out your polenta
- Layer on your fried bbq cauliflower onto the center of your dish
- Serve with au jus on the side to allow the person who is eating the dish the choice to dress their dish to their desire
- Garnish with cilantro, parsley, or torn greens to make the dish appear less flat
- Serve immediately
Tools
Fried Vegan BBQ Cauliflower with Creamy Polenta
Polenta is the perfect base for a light meal, especially when you are going for a creamy and savory dish. I’ve paired this dish with varying sizes of fried cauliflower, to provide a crunchy texture to the smooth taste of the polenta. The au jus is the perfect topping.
Ingredients
Fried Cauliflower
- 2 cups of vegetable oil
- ½ head of cauliflower
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 cup of almond milk
- 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp of onion powder
- ½ tsp of curry powder
- ½ tsp of salt
- 1 cup of panko flakes
- ½ cup of bbq sauce
- 1 tbsp of water
Au Jus
- 1 cup of sliced shiitake mushroom
- 1 tsp of oil
- ½ cup of bbq sauce
- ½ water
Creamy Polenta
- 2 cups of water
- ½ cup of fine polenta
- ½ tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of vegan butter
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Fried Cauliflower
- Heat a pan of vegetable oil over low medium heat
- Break apart your cauliflower florets into varying bitesize pieces, set aside
- Mix flour with dry seasonings, then whisk in almond milk until you get a thick cake batter
- Dip cauliflower florets into your batter, making sure to coat the surfaces of each floret. Allow the batter to fall into crevices
- Toss the wet floret into the panko mix
- Fry for 4-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown
- Remove the florets and place them on a paper towel to allow the oil to drain
Au Jus
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat, add in your oil
- Add in your mushrooms and allow that to fry for 2 mins, mixing constantly
- Whisk together your bbq sauce and water in a separate bowl, then pour into your pot
- Lower heat and allow your au jus to a simmer for 10 minutes
- Pour into a mini bowl or a 8oz mason jar
Polenta
- In a heavy pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil over medium high
- Slowly whisk in your polenta
- Bring heat down to medium, then continue whisking your polenta for about 5-7 mins. Add your salt, garlic powder, and butter
- Whisk for an additional 3-4 minutes
- Slowly whisk in ½ a cup of water to soften your
- Let cook for another 5 minutes
- Serve immediately
Plating
- In a saucepan heat ½ cup of bbq sauce with 1 tbsp of water
- Toss in your fried panko cauliflower making sure to coat all sides, set aside
- Spoon your polenta into a wide bowl, lightly pressing your spoon down to spread out your polenta
- Layer on your fried bbq cauliflower onto the center of your dish
- Serve with au jus on the side to allow the person who is eating the dish the choice to dress their dish to their desire
Notes
Serve immediately
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The difference between polenta and grits... like a whole Aha moment as I was reading about it. Love everything about this blog post. Thanks for sharing!
Yes! Some folks even call grits 'white polenta" <3 thanks for reading, Leyda!