Plant-based salt & pepper zucchini rings with a spicy lemon dipping sauce
Happy Friday everyone …
Yes, this is fiddly one, definitely not a mid week cook & eat, maybe good for this weekend though ? Very very tasty, just yummy, what else can I say, I really enjoyed devouring them for sure !
These are made simply of cauliflower & zucchini with Cantonese type flavours and bit of spray oil. The oven does most of the work crisping them up into proper crunchy rings you can hold in two pinkies.
They are essentially salt and pepper calamari-like-ish, but vegan, plant-based and suitable for VLCD programs. Don’t get put off by the “salt” in the title, there is hardly any, it probably should read “Spice and Pepper”.
So, buy yourself a cauliflower and a zucchini and you are right to go !
Please note: this really is one of the experimental dishes, I do them every so often, like a challenge to myself, can I recreate —– (fill the gap) to a reasonable likeness in texture and taste but plant-based, vegan, low cal & carb.
Next week I’ll be moving into Autumn comfort food, stove top meals & some more yummy nutty autumnal flavours. Time to simplify !
Joni
- 1 medium zucchini, as thick as possible to make large rings
- 1 medium cauliflower
- Spray oil
- 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small red chilli, thinly sliced
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbs Rice wine vinegar
- Spray oil
- 1 tbs black pepper
- 1 tbs ground ginger
- 1 tbs vegetable stock powder
- 1/2 tbs Stevia (optional)
- 1/2 tbs Chinese five-spice powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- Preheat oven to 200°C (fan forced).
- Mix together the ingredients for the spice mix and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan bring two cups of water to the boil. Cut the cauliflower and divide in half between two bowls - one with the florets only, with the stalk trimmed, for the crumb. The other including all the stalks and chunky bits for the batter. Add the cauli in the bowl reserved for the batter into the water. Place a metal sieve or steamer on top and add the florets cut for the crumb. ie. Half the cut cauli is in the water and half is being steamed over the top.
- Partially cover and leave for 15-25 mins until the cauli in the water is well cooked and is falling apart. Set aside the cauli in the steamer for the crumb to cool.
- Drain the batter cauli from the water and tip back into its bowl. Blitz the batter cauli until it forms a thick sauce consistency. Mix in 2 tbs of the spice mix. Set aside.
- Next, make the crumb. Blitz the steamed cauli until is resembles breadcrumbs. This is a little finer than you would do for cauli rice. Tip into a tea towel and twist and squeeze over a sink until much of the water is removed (this will give the outside the crunch & stop it being soggy). Tip back into the bowl and mix together with the leftover spice mix.
- Next, make the zucchini rings. Peel then slice your zucchini into 1cm thick rounds. They will shrink while baking. With either a knife, bottle top or scone cutter, cut round holes in the centre of each zucchini round. You can also just leave these whole if you want to simplify ! Leave on a piece of paper towel to drain the water.
- Clean your benches and place some baking paper on a tray and spray with oil. Set your batter and crumb up alongside the oven tray. Dip the zucchini rings into the batter, spooning over to give a generous coating. Then roll and coat in breadcrumbs. Place on the tray and spray with some oil.
- Bake in oven for 30 minutes, turning if needed at 20 mins.
- While you are waiting make up your lemon dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients together in a small dipping bowl.
- Also mix together the topping mix ingredients (spring onion, chilli, garlic and rice wine vinegar) in another bowl. In a small pan, add a spray of oil and cook the topping mix until crispy and crunchy.
- Remove the zucchini rings from the oven and place on a plate. Sprinkle with the topping mix and serve with the dipping sauce. These should be eaten immediately so they are crunchy and hot.
- Make sure you are reasonably heavy handed with the batter and the crumb, so the zucchini rings are coated well.
- Not suitable to freeze or re-heat. You could make the dipping sauce, crumb, batter and spice mix prior.
- You can also use Ayam lite Sweet Chilli Sauce as a dipping sauce
- Great for a weekend snack or if others in the house are having seafood and you want something similar!
Astro
March 13, 2016
They are so good! great work Joni!
Joni Condos
March 13, 2016
Wow Astro, I’ve just clapped eyes on your picture on FB, looking fabulous and so glad you liked them 🙂 Joni