Cholula Battered Crispy Cauliflower Tacos
I’ve never been one to write really long introductions for my recipes. I’ve never considered myself a writer. I don’t know how to make sentences flow or use eloquent words. I would spend more time practicing my writing if I felt like it was something that was important to me, or that I really wanted to improve upon but it’s not really. I know how to put ingredients together that taste good, and that has always been my focus with this platform.
But even more so lately, I just haven’t felt like writing a lot. I don’t even feel like talking a lot. I haven’t gone totally hermit, or decided to spend my days holed up in my house, but I have been more selective with my conversations and less generous with my words.
My mom called me a few weeks ago to tell me that she had found a lump in her breast and that it was breast cancer. She was going to have a surgery to remove it and that it was still really early so that would be the end of it. Weeks have gone by and she will have her third surgery this week to put in a port so that she can start chemo next week. We talked recently and she told me that she had bought some “really nice hats.”
I know people deal with things like this in different ways, and my way has been to really want to be alone, to be with just myself and to not have to hold a conversation. To go for a hike with my just my dog, to go surf by myself, to drink a glass of wine solo on the porch as the sun sets… it all seems to make me feel better, and I don’t know why.
So I hope you’ll bear with me as I might be a woman of few words for the time being. I have recipes to give you, but not too much to say about them. Maybe that will change, but for now, here’s a recipe that I really like and I know you will too if you try it.
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cholula
- 1/2 cup water, plus 2-3 Tbsp if needed to thin out
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets about 1 inch
- tortillas
- shredded cabbage
- cilantro
- extra cholula
- lime
- ripe avocado
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl whisk together rice flour, cornstarch, cholula, water, cumin, garlic powder and red pepper flakes until smooth. Add more water if it is too thick.
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Add cauliflower to batter and combine with hands until all the florets are covered. Lay out on baking sheet, shaking off excess batter and spread out so florets are in a single layer and not touching, so they're crisp up and not steam.
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Bake for 15 minutes, and then turn and bake another 10-15 minutes. Check periodically since ovens are different. If you need to bake them longer to get them crispier go for it. They will also get a little crispier once they come out and rest a little bit.
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If you want to get an even crispier exterior you can toss these with extra cholula when they come out of the oven and then put them under the broiler for a little bit, but make sure to watch them carefully.
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Remove from the oven and toss with extra cholula. Serve in a warm tortilla with cabbage, cilantro, avocado, extra cholula and a squeeze of fresh time.
You'll notice that there's no additional salt added to the batter, which is because the hot sauce can be on the salty side to begin with. If you feel like the cauliflower needs additional seasoning at the end go for it!
If you want to reheat these, I've found that the best way is in the broiler. It will crisp them up nicely!
