I took my first flight in almost two years to Florida earlier this month. A group of us were gathering for a small work meeting and excited to see each other outside of a video call.

We had dinner the first night at the SeaSpray Inlet Grill in Boca Raton. We enjoyed a selection of appetizers including Sticky Cauliflower. It was so good we ordered more. My colleague, Christopher M, said it best – it was like General Tso’s Chicken but with cauliflower. I asked our server if the chef would share the recipe. He didn’t have to ask as he already knew the answer – soy glaze with sesame seeds on roasted cauliflower. We clearly were not the first to ask. 

I’m continually amazed at how versatile cauliflower is – there are so many things one can do with it. And to think that I resisted it for so many years as it was not a childhood favorite. 

While you’re roasting the cauliflower, prepare the glaze and toast the sesame seeds. If you want the sauce to be a bit more ‘sticky’ add more honey. The version we had in Florida was more sticky and completely covered the cauliflower – I opted for a slightly more healthy take. You can prepare the sauce a day or two in advance and reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.  

If you are gluten-free or wheat-free, be sure to use gluten-free soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Joyce Chen makes both a gluten-free/low sodium soy sauce and gluten-free hoisin sauce. Tamari is also a good gluten-free alternative to traditional soy sauce.

Once the cauliflower is roasted, toss it with the sauce and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and minced scallions on top. We served it with a nice rare piece of tuna. You could also serve it as part of an appetizer course – preferably passed at the table as it’s a bit messy (hence the name).

Sticky Cauliflower

 

Sticky Cauliflower

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Course Side
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head cauliflower about 2-1/4 pounds, cut into florets
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce see Notes
  • 1/4 cup honey see Notes
  • 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce see Notes
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon white sesame seeds toasted
  • 2 scallions minced

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 400°F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil and kosher salt.
  • Arrange cauliflower on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile add soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes to a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently (so it doesn’t burn), and boil for about 5 minutes until slightly reduced and a thicker consistency. (You can boil longer for it to get thicker.)
  • Remove cauliflower from the oven and place on a platter. Drizzle with soy glaze (you may not need all of it), sesame seeds and scallions.
  • If you have leftover soy glaze, it keeps covered in the refrigerator for two weeks.

Notes

* To make this gluten-free/wheat-free, look for gluten-free/wheat-free soy sauce and hoisin. Joyce Chen has both. Tamari is also a good gluten-free/wheat-free substitute for soy sauce.
* To make this sauce thicker, you can either boil it longer or add more honey.
Sticky Cauliflower