Buffalo Fried Cauliflower
Ingredients
2 heads cauliflower, trimmed into 1-2” pieces
2 eggs
3 cups buffalo sauce, divided
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 cups canola or vegetable oil
Cilantro, for garnish
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Submerge the cauliflower and allow to cook until soft when pierced with a fork (5-10 minutes). Prepare an ice bath in a separate bowl. Drain cauliflower and plunge in to ice bath. Drain again and arrange on a bed of paper towels to drain. Allow to dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.
While cauliflower is drying, pour oil into a thick, deep pot (there should be at least 5” between the top of the oil and the top of the pan). Heat oil up to 350-375 degrees.
Combine eggs and ¼ cup of buffalo sauce in a medium bowl. In a separate medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Working piece by piece, dip the cauliflower into the egg mixture, then dredge in flour.
Prepare a cooling rack (I usually do mine over a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels to catch the excess oil).
Carefully drop a little bit of batter into the oil to make sure it sizzles gently (this is a helpful trick if you don’t have a thermometer). Working in batches, lower the coated cauliflower into the oil and allow the initial heat to bubble off. Use tongs to separate the pieces a bit (so you don’t end up with one giant glob), then allow to cook until they are a light golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Once the cauliflower is just warm to the touch and crispy, dunk it in the remaining buffalo sauce and toss until it’s thoroughly coated. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately with cilantro as garnish.
