Made this one nice, sunny summers evening as it was too warm for anything large or heavy.

These would be amazing for a little get together or a match day. 

Super crispy, lightly spicy batter supercharged with a little vodka for that extra crisp.

Serve with any dip you like but they are flavourful enough just to bang back on their own.

Enjoy.

Serves 2

Ingredients

600 – 675 g cauliflower florets (two-bite size) 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 1 – 1.4 litres for deep-frying

1 teaspoon sea salt 

½ teaspoon ground pepper 

225 ml/8 fl oz unsweetened non-dairy milk 

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 

4 tablespoons Tabasco buffalo-style hot sauce 

2 teaspoons cornflour 

2 tablespoon Vodka

260 g plain flour 

1 tablespoon sea salt 

1 tablespoon chilli powder 

2 teaspoons garlic powder 

2 teaspoons onion powder 

1 teaspoon ground pepper 

1 teaspoon ground sage 

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1 teaspoon celery salt 

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

½ teaspoon ground cumin 

½ teaspoon ground allspice 

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7. 

To prepare the cauliflower, toss the cauliflower on a baking sheet with the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, salt and ground pepper. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until tender. Leave to cool if necessary before handling the florets for battering. 

Heat the oil for deep-frying in a large heavy-based pot or deep fryer to a temperature of 160°C – 180°C/325°F – 350°F on a deep-frying thermometer. The amount of oil may vary depending on the size of your frying vessel. 

To make the batter, combine the non-dairy milk with the apple cider vinegar, hot sauce and vodka in a large bowl. Mix the cornflour with a small amount of the milk mixture to make a paste and add to the bowl. This helps avoid lumps.

Now, I have been wondering if any spirit would work. I suppose it might as long as it's 35% ABV or higher. However, Vodka is a very neutral flavour so using say White Rum would change the taste I imagine and possibly not in a bad way. If you do experiment - message me on my Insta and tell me how it went.

In another large bowl, combine the flour with the salt and all the spices. Do not batter the cauliflower and leave it to stand before it goes in the oil. Only coat the pieces once the oil has reached 160°C/325°F.

Now put one hand behind your back to keep one hand clean and batter a floret, then coat in the flour mixture, then submerge in the batter again and coat in the flour mixture once again. Fry a few pieces at a time for 4 – 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon on to a baking sheet or large plate covered with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. 

Serve with the dip of your choice. 

To reheat leftover fried cauliflower, place the pieces on a baking sheet and bake in a 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7 oven for 10 – 12 minutes. Redundant paragraph as you won't have any leftovers.

Enjoy!!