Crackling Cauliflower (Whole Foods Cauliflower Salad)
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Published Sep 15, 2013, Updated May 14, 2021
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Inspired by the Whole Foods salad bar, this crackling cauliflower is a roasted cauliflower salad loaded with curry flavor, green peas, red onions and cilantro. It’s perfect for potlucks because the dish can be served cold or a room-temp.
Cracklin’ Cauliflower is my second favorite thing from the Whole Foods salad bar (Garlicky Kale is my first, in case you were wondering) and like most food related things I fall in love with, I recreated this dish at home so I could make it whenever my heart desires. Which is awesome because it’s hit or miss when my Whole Foods will actually have this available on the bar.
So about the dish, the base is roasted cauliflower and it includes a number of fragrant spices including curry, garam masala, fennel seed, fresh ginger and garlic. Don’t let the spices scare you though… I think I got my garam masala, fennel and curry from Penzey’s Spices, but you should be able to find them all at most grocery stores. And other than measuring, throwing the spices into a bowl and roasting the cauliflower, this dish comes together rather quickly — unless of course you accidentally get the curry sauce on your white pants and have to do an emergency load of bleached whites in the process. Not that I would know about that or anything…
The texture of the roasted cauliflower is perfect (not too crunchy and not too soft) and it takes on the flavor of the curry sauce so well. You get a nice spiciness from the ginger and red pepper, which is balanced by a sweetness from the peas.
If you make this crackling cauliflower, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how it turned out. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other EBF readers!
Crackling Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 bunch cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 1/2 large red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/2 tablespoon garam masala
- 1/2 tablespoon fennel seed
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Take frozen peas out of the freezer and let thaw while preparing the cauliflower.
- Combine oil and spices (curry powder through ground pepper) and toss with cauliflower and red onion until all pieces are well-coated. Place cauliflower in a baking dish and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring about every 15 minutes for even cooking. The cauliflower should be crisp-tender and golden brown when done.
- Place in a serving bowl, then stir in peas and cilantro. Let cool a bit and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have made this several times and have done all sorts of substitutions and it turns out delectable every single time. I always add a bit of lemon juice. Thank you for this terrific recipe. It has really become a go-to for us.
Woo!! So glad you’ve been enjoying this recipe, Mary. Thanks for the review! I so appreciate it!
This has become one of our “go to” sides with steak or chicken or whatever… love it and so satisfying that it’s a healthy choice!
Love this! It is such a great side, Joanne. Thanks so much for your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!
I love this so much, I had to stop myself from eating it. I think I ate half the recipe in one sitting. My only complaint is that it is very pungent. It took a while for the cooking smell to leave my one bedroom apartment. If you live in a small place, I suggest you take extraordinary measures to ventilate properly while cooking. Lol.
WOO! This makes me so happy to hear, Mary! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and it turned out great for you. Yes the smell of cauliflower can be a bit much- hopefully you were able to get rid of it. Thanks for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!