Perfect for a light warm weather meal, these Korean Cauliflower Fritters offer a healthy, hearty meal with an unexpected flavor profile.
My original idea for this recipe looked more like a spicy veggie burger hence the addition of the black beans. Interestingly however, somewhere along the lines, I ended up making fritters.
The result far exceeded my expectations so I quickly threw together an impromptu platter and served the fritters over a bed of lettuce alongside a dome of rice.
I've really been on a rice bowl kick, and they've been fueling my culinary inspiration of late. There are million variations across the internet but today's focuses on a East meets West fusion.
This is truly feel good food. The dish is packed with flavor and hearty goodness. To bring some lightness to the meal, I served it alongside my pickled sweet potato salad and a simple chili paste dipping sauce that's both sweet and spicy.
My goal here was to create a flavorful meal that relied on pantry basics and that can be made in a pinch. Voila, today's recipe checks all those boxes. So without further delay, let's get into it.
Korean Cauliflower Fritters
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Chili Dipping Sauce:
- 4 tbs. - honey
- 4 tbs. - garlic chili sauce
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 tsp. sesame seeds
For the Fritters:
- 1/2 head of fresh cauliflower - sectioned into florets
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. gochugaru flakes - (Korean Red Chili Pepper Flakes)
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 jalapeno
- 2 inch piece of ginger
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups flower
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 3 sesame seeds
- 15.5 oz. can of black beans - rinsed and drained
- 3 scallions - sliced
- Cooking oil
For the Garnishes:
- Scallions - sliced
- Lettuce
- Rice
- Avocado - sliced
Instructions
For the Chili Dipping Sauce:
- Combine all of the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and stir. Set aside.
- Dipping sauce can be stored in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks.
For the Fritters:
- Place the cauliflower, ginger, jalapeno, sesame oil, fresh ground black pepper, salt, sugar, gochugaru (Korean Red Chili Pepper Flakes) and garlic cloves in a food processor and process.
- Place this mixture in a large bowl and add the eggs, flower and sesame seeds and stir until well incorporated.
- Add the black beans and scallions and stir into the batter.
- Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes.
- Heat a large cast iron frying pan with about ¼ inch of cooking oil.
- Spoon the batter into the pan and gently flatten with the back of a spatula.
- Let the fritter get a nice golden color on one side. This should take about 3 – 4 minutes per side on a medium heat.
- Carefully turn over and finish cooking on the other side until a beautiful golden color forms on the other side.
- Place on a platter prepared with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Assemble the plate as you like. I used rice, lettuce leaves, scallions and avocado slices.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Cuisine: Asian American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 764
- Sugar: 17.5 g
- Sodium: 968.2 mg
- Fat: 51.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 60.9 g
- Protein: 25.5 g
- Cholesterol: 124 mg
Kira says
This looks insanely delicious. Something I’d would definitely order if I was eating out . Yum!
Jupiter Hadley says
We eat loads of Korean food in our house - and this sounds like a great way to eat some more veggies! The chilli sauce dip recipe is so simple too!
Joanne Budah says
This looks amazing!!! I can’t wait to make this! Thank you for all the great recipes.
Yeah Lifestyle says
Looks delicious, I've never cooked cauliflower this way so hope to do it. Do you toast the sesame seeds before adding it to the dipping sauce?
Lavanda Michelle says
That looks so great, the rice with fritter combo is insanely delicious looking. I will definitely have to try this recipe out. Thanks for sharing!
Risa Lopez says
wow, this looks so yummy! I can't wait to try it!
Rhian Westbury says
I bet the chilli sauce tasted so good with these! I don't think I've ever had cauliflower fritters before x
Asian Mosaic Design says
This looks so so good! I can't wait to do it, I love Korean spices and Korean food. Thanks a lot for the recipe.
Katie says
That looks amazing and sounds so yummy! Looks like a pretty easy recipe as well. Thanks!