A whole-roasted cauliflower that is massaged with miso, sesame oil, ginger, and chili garlic sauce. Cook in the oven until it’s dark brown, nutty and unbelievably delicious.
By Kristen Stevens
The whole cauliflower is massaged with a mix of miso paste, sesame oil, ginger, chili garlic sauce and a few other tasty Asian flavours. It’s then roasted in the oven till it’s dark brown, nutty tasting and unbelievably delicious. 
This is one of those wicked awesome recipes that is tasty and pretty enough to serve at a dinner party yet quick and easy enough to make when you get home from work during the week. Try it out this week before impressing your friends with it on the weekend.
When I make this cauliflower I like to roast it on a baking sheet then transfer it to a small cast iron skillet when I serve it. You could, of course, just bake it in the skillet and serve it straight from there, just warn eaters not to touch the stupidly smokin’ hot skillet.
Tips for roasting cauliflower
- Make sure the whole head of cauliflower is coated liberally in oil. The oil will help the cauliflower to brown and become extra delicious.
- Don’t take the cauliflower out of the oven until it is dark brown and charred in spots. The dark spots are where all the flavour is.
- Make sure to season well with sea salt. There’s tons of flavour here and the salt helps coax it out.
- This cauliflower has just a little touch of heat. Feel free to add some chilies or extra Chinese garlic chili sauce if you’d like more of a bite.
Want more cauliflower? Try these cauliflower bites with curried mayo.
PrintSesame-Ginger Cauliflower Roasted Whole
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A whole-roasted cauliflower is massaged with miso, sesame oil, ginger, and chili garlic sauce. Cook in the oven until it’s brown, nutty and so delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon grape seed oil
- 1 tablespoon brown miso paste (see note)
- 1 tablespoon Chinese chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
- For garnish: sliced green onions, toasted white and black sesame seeds, sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut the leaves and stem off the cauliflower so that it sits flat.
- In a small bowl mix together the sesame and grape seed oils, the miso paste, Chinese chili garlic sauce and the ginger. Using your hands rub the mix over the cauliflower, making sure you get it everywhere, even the bottom.
- Roast the cauliflower in the oven for 44-50 minutes, or until it is soft and brown. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and season with sea salt and sprinkle the green onions and toasted sesame seeds over before serving.
Notes
This recipe can be gluten free, even though not all miso paste is gluten free. If you are celiac make sure you read the label to see if the brand of miso you’re buying is gluten free.
- Category: Side
