Garlicky Curry + Spicy Cauliflower Buffalo Wings (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 3/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Buffalo Wings
Wing time! Yet again we're going to challenge the notion of what we can eat as vegans and plant-based. Wings are something we can obviously tackle and beat!
Cauliflower is a great vehicle for wings as they give you a similar bite-size canvas to work from. They have the nooks and crannies that allow you to douse them in a milk bath with then a buffalo sauce. Further, it is something we can bake and will be firm when we do that. Cauliflower is a beautiful specimen for wings.
As we've shown on this site on multiple occasions, we aren't afraid of tackling things people love to eat and keeping them totally plant-powered. The milk bath is the starting point with a cornmeal + tapioca flour mixture. Then, we use panko breadcrumbs. Finally, we bake them for awhile and then coat them in a buffalo hot sauce and rebake.
I wanted to also make these more than just buffalo wings, so we made a buffalo sauce that was tangy, garlicky, spicy, and also added some curry/cumin/turmeric to give it an Indian spice depth.
What do we get? Amazing buffalo wings that are a great gametime snack. I complement them with a vegan ranch made from chia seeds that is really delicious. Definitely can make your own, but its nice to have something ready to go.
Well, I am sure you want to see how the hell we do this, so ...
Let's get into it!
Wings
- 1 small-to-medium head of cauliflower
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup blue cornmeal
- 1/2 cup flax milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp old bay
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Buffalo Sauce
- 1/4 cup louisiana hot sauce
- 1/4 cup valentina salsa picante
- 1 tbl maple syrup
- 1 tbl sesame oil
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric
- smoked sea salt, to taste
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Medium Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Three Medium Bowls . Silpat or Parchment Paper . Baking Pan . Whisk . Serving Dish
Before You Cook:
- Preheat oven to 450F
1. Cut cauliflower into florets and then into bite size pieces. I usually halve or 1/3 the florets.
2. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, milk, and spices. Everything sans bread crumbs.
3. Set up a station to make your wings with cauliflower, crumbs, wash, and pan lined with parchment or silpat.
4. Dip the wings into the wash. Dip and shake off excess. Do not leave in the wash for more than 1-2 seconds
5. Then dip into breadcrumbs, coat with crumbs, and place on pan lined with silpat or parchment paper.
6. Once you've completed the process for every piece, place into oven and bake 20 minutes.
7. While the cauliflower bakes, mix together your sauce ingredients.
8. After the wings come out of the oven, using tongs, dip into the sauce, shake it off, and place back on the pan.
9. Place the wings back in the oven and bake for another 5-6 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
