Chinese Five Spice Bang Bang Cauliflower with Ginger and Spring Onion Fried Rice and a Soy Honey Sauce

This is one of my favourite recipes I’ve made recently and is perfect for a meat free meal. The crispy cauliflower bites are baked rather than deep fried so are healthy, but still so lovely and crispy. With a sticky soy reduction and some pea filled brown rice, this is a cheap and healthy meal to kick start your week - oh and it’s vegan too.

Serves 3
1. First, make the bang bang cauliflower. Break one large cauliflower into small florets. Make your batter by mixing 125g plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic granules and 1 tbsp chinese five spice in a bowl. Slowly add 200ml of milk of your choice (I used almond) whisking all the time to make a thick batter.
2. Tip 150g panko breadcrumbs into a large shallow bowl or tray. One by one, dip the cauliflower florets into the batter, shake off the excess and then coat well in the panko breadcrumbs. Place on a parchment lined baking tray making sure the florets are well spaced out.
3. Bake the cauliflower at 200C fan for 30 mins, turning halfway through until golden and crispy.
4. For the sauce, put 50ml light soy sauce, the juice and zest of two limes, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar and 1 tbsp kecap manis into a small saucepan. Heat gently and reduce slightly until syrupy. Taste and correct the seasoning.
5. For the rice, fry a bunch of thinly sliced spring onions in 1 tbsp sesame oil with 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves and 2 tbsp grated ginger. After a couple of minutes, add 300g of cooked brown rice and 150g of frozen peas. Stir until the peas are cooked then add 1 tsp salt, a big handful of roughly chopped coriander and the zest of another lime. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
6. When everything is ready serve the cauliflower with the rice, drizzle over the sauce and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, a sliced chilli and some more coriander.