Alright, so you may be guessing by now, I’m not one to do things traditional. Traditional in a sense, while I can still enjoy all kinds of holiday recipes (I love food), I cannot sit around and make the same kinds of recipe people make over Thanksgiving. At least, if I am standing around trying to make another herb-roasted vegetable recipe inspired from my Pinterest board of food, I’ll probably go crazy and call it a night as a recipe developer.
So I’ve had this idea irking in my head. What if I make a whole cauliflower roast that is not made from traditional holiday flavors? No all spice, no nutmeg, no pumpkin spice, or poultry seasoning. But something spicy, something bold, something that can stand on its own. All I can think of is Gochujang. Yes. Gochujang sauce.
Gochujang is a Korean fermented red chili paste with a sweet and tangy flavor profile. In my opinion, a paste bolder than good ol’ sriracha.
In the past year, I have been experimenting with whole cauliflower roasts. And quite frankly, a lot did not click with me. Recipes I’ve followed were either too light in flavor (which is fine on a regular occasion but not for gatherings) or the recipe tried way too hard to make it healthy – that it just tasted like a garden (isn’t that ironic for a plant-based recipe).
In addition, my goal is to not to make this taste like poultry. Let’s make things clear, cauliflower won’t taste like turkey or chicken and it will never will; proven the many times I’ve attempted cauliflower wings. I do love cauliflower wings though. But I will guarantee that it will be bursting with flavors and it can, most definitely, stand on its own without the need of substituted ingredients or making it taste like something that it is not.
Nobody would ever put this roast in the corner of the Thanksgiving table. At least not in mine!
Do you like big, bold, spicy food? What are your thoughts on holiday flavors? Let me know in the comment section below.
Spicy Gochujang Cauliflower Roast
Ingredients
Gochujang Sauce
- ¼ cup (55g) Gochujang paste
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tbsp agave maple syrup or brown sugar will work too
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup (59g) water
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
Cauliflower
- 1 head Cauliflower fully rinsed, stem & core removed (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat a sauce pan to medium. Combine all sauce ingredients and stir until well combined. Turn off heat.
- Prepare cauliflower by rinsing thoroughly. Carefully remove the core and green stems off the cauliflower but be sure it does not lose its structure.
- Place the cauliflower head on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or on a cast iron skillet evenly coated in oil.
- Brush or rub Gochujang sauce all over the cauliflower, making sure all corners, cracks and sides are fully coated. Making sure sauce fully coats the cauliflower will help prevent it from drying in the oven. Save at least a ⅓ of its mixture to brush halfway through roasting. Set aside for 30-minutes or an hour to allow the flavors to absorb.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. And then, halfway through, remove and brush with another coat of sauce. Place back into the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. Depending on the heat of your oven, total baking time should be between 30-45 minutes.