Step 1

Brine the Cauliflower. Place all cauliflower florets in a large bowl. Add all the Vegan Buttermilk ingredients into the bowl (non-dairy milk last) and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.

Step 2

Prepare Coatings. In a food processor, blitz the raw almonds until they're crushed but NOT resembling almond meal, around 6-10 pulses. In a bowl, combine almonds with panko breadcrumbs (See notes). In a separate bowl, mix together all purpose flour and potato starch. Set aside.

Step 3

Make the Sauce. In a non-stick pan, heat sesame oil on medium heat and fry ginger and garlic until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add in all the remaining ingredients, combine well, and bring to a boil. Once the sauce reaches your desired consistency (for me, this usually takes no reduction at all), taste for seasoning and remove off the heat. Set aside.

Step 4

Bread the Cauliflower. Pre-heat the oven to 420 degrees F (215 C). Once the cauliflower has brined long enough, separate the cauliflower florets from the buttermilk brine. Set up four separate stations: cauliflower florets. buttermilk brine. panko breadcrumbs & almonds. all purpose flour & potato starch. The breading is a double coat, as follows: dip each cauliflower floret into the flour & potato starch mixture, shake off excess, dip into the buttermilk brine again, shake off excess, and then into the panko & almond mixture. Be sure to fully coat the cauliflower! Repeat for all florets, and set them onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Optional: drizzling with ~1 tablespoon of olive oil helps them crisp up.

Step 5

Bake & Finish. Bake for around 30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown & crispy. When the cauliflower is almost done baking, re-heat the sauce (the sauce should be warm/hot, so the cauliflower won't turn soggy). Toss the baked cauliflower in sauce right after it comes out of the oven. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds. Serve warm.