One of my favorite things growing up is eating the cauliflower my mom fried for ma’loubeh (an upside down rice, and veggies dish). Although I love love fried cauliflower but not a fan of frying anything at home. Frying somehow makes your home. So I baked these cauliflower in my air fryer for crispy results without using much oil. The cauliflower turned out so crispy with only 2 tsp of oil and cooked so fast. So here we go I present to you a Crispy cauliflower salad with a Tahini lemon dressing topped with a bright and fresh cilantro and hazelnuts gremolata sauce. Its a perfect salad or even a side dish. I usually love to stuff this in a pita but serving this with grilled salmon for a family dinner.
Crispy cauliflower salad with a Tahini lemon sauce and topped with a fresh cilantro and toasted hazelnuts Gremolata
To make the air fried cauliflower:
1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
2 tsp - up to 1 tbls olive oil depending on the size of your cauliflower
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper
Cut the cauliflower into bite size florets, toss with the spices and oil to combine.
Place your seasoned cauliflower in your air fryer. Set it on 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Flipping them once after the first 15 minutes.
If you are using an oven:
Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
Place on a baking pan and bake on middle rack for 15 minutes, turning florets once during baking. Return to the oven and bake until you get the desired crispiness it might take up to 35-40 mins.
To make the cilantro gremolata
1 cup packed Fresh cilantro stems removed
1–2 garlic cloves
Zest of one small lemon, plus its juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
pinch Aleppo peppers
3 tbls of toasted hazelnuts roughly chopped
Directions:
Finely chop your cilantro
Grate your garlic
Add oil, salt & pepper, lemon zest, Aleppo peppers and lemon juice.
Mix all together in a bowl
Add in your toasted hazelnuts
Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
** you can make this recipe in a food processor but pulse so it doesn’t turn into a paste and add your zest and hazelnuts at the end.
To make the Tahini sauce:
(All ingredients can be adjusted to your liking) but we are looking for a drizzlable consistency
1-2 garlic cloves mashed
1/2 cup Tahini (sesame paste)
Juice of one or two lemons
Salt
Water (1 tbsp at a time)
I like to add all the ingredients to a tight jar and shake until well blended. The sauce will appear so thick at first, so dilute the sauce with water adding one tbsp at a time until you get the desired (drizzlable) consistency.
To assemble:
Drizzle your tahini sauce at the bottom of your serving plate.
Top with your crispy cauliflower
Top with the cilantro gremolata and extra crunchy hazelnuts.
This recipe is delicious as a salad, stuffed in a pita or as a side dish.
Sahtain,
Mai