Roasting brings out the natural sweetness and texture of vegetables, making them more tempting and flavorful.
I experimented and created these buffalo cauliflower pancakes using roasted cauliflower tossed with buffalo wing sauce and a touch of miso for depth.
An egg and a few tablespoons of mochiko (glutinous rice flour) bind the mixture so the pancakes hold together and crisp up nicely in a cast iron skillet.
Buffalo Cauliflower Pancake served with roasted sweet and baby potatoes, green beans, bell peppers, button mushrooms, and tomatoes
Serve the pancakes with a selection of roasted vegetables for a complete, satisfying meal. While the cauliflower is roasting, you can easily roast additional vegetables to go alongside—sweet potatoes, baby potatoes, peppers, green beans, mushrooms, and tomatoes all work well.
For roasting, toss vegetables with a little olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper, then roast at 375–400°F (190–200°C). Cooking time varies depending on the size and thickness of the pieces and oven temperature. Thinner or smaller vegetables will often be tender after about 30 minutes, so start checking around then and remove items as they finish so everything reaches the desired doneness.
These pancakes are also an excellent way to use up leftover roasted vegetables—simply pulse what you have in a food processor and proceed with the binding ingredients.
- 1 small head or 1/2 of a large head cauliflower
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- 4 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce
- 1 teaspoon miso
- 1 large egg
- 4 tablespoons mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil for frying
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Break the cauliflower into florets and slice thicker florets into 1/2″ (1 cm) slices. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, toss to coat, and spread out so pieces roast rather than steam. Roast for 40–50 minutes, until just tender. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Place about 2 1/2 cups packed roasted cauliflower into a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Avoid overprocessing into a puree—a slightly textured mixture works best. Save any extra roasted cauliflower for another use or as a side.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buffalo wing sauce, miso, and egg. Add the ground cauliflower and mochiko, stirring until well combined. The mixture should hold together when shaped; if it feels too wet, add a little more mochiko.
- Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or olive oil) over medium-high heat in a cast iron or heavy skillet. Once hot, reduce the heat to medium. Form the mixture into four equal patties and place them in the pan. Cook about 8 minutes total, flipping every 2 minutes to promote even browning and prevent burning. Adjust the heat as needed so the pancakes brown without scorching.
- Serve the pancakes hot with roasted sweet potatoes and a selection of your favorite roasted vegetables.