Gordon Ramsay’s bang bang cauliflower from Ramsay in 10 is cauliflower florets shallow-fried with rice flour, then tossed in a sauce of maple syrup, sriracha and sweet chilli sauce. It is vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. About 10 minutes start to finish.
In his YouTube video he says this dish will “turn you vegan in nine minutes and 59 seconds.” He borrowed the sauce from bang bang chicken, a Sichuan dish he says has been “much adulterated in the US.” His version has no mayo, no batter and no deep fryer.
The rice flour is what makes it work. It gives the cauliflower a light, dry coat that crisps in a hot pan without absorbing oil. No egg, no breadcrumbs, no heavy batter needed.
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Gordon Ramsay’s Bang Bang Cauliflower
Course: Side, AppetiserCuisine: Chinese-InspiredDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes10
minutes180
kcal15 minutes
Straight from Ramsay in 10 and his YouTube series. Shallow-fried with rice flour, not battered and deep-fried. The sauce is maple syrup, sriracha and sweet chilli, no dairy at all. He adds bok choy and fresh lime in the video version.
Ingredients
- For the cauliflower:
½ cauliflower, cut into florets, tender leaves reserved
1 heaped tbsp rice flour
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
½ small red onion, peeled and sliced
2-3cm (¾ to 1¼ inch) piece of fresh ginger, cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 fresh red chilli, sliced (optional, from the video)
1 small bok choy, finely sliced (from the video)
Juice of 1 lime (from the video)
Small handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves
- For the bang bang sauce:
2 tbsp maple syrup or agave syrup
2 tbsp Cholula or sriracha hot sauce
4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (sweet chili sauce)
Directions
- Make the sauce: Stir the maple syrup, hot sauce and sweet chilli sauce together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Coat the cauliflower: Toss the florets in the rice flour until lightly dusted. Ramsay says the rice flour “gives it that really nice coating and helps get the cauliflower really nice and crispy.”
- Shallow-fry: Heat the sesame oil and olive oil in a wok over a high heat. Add the cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes without moving it too much so it colours. Add the reserved leaves and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the edges are golden and charred.
- Cook the aromatics: In a small saucepan, heat a little olive oil over a medium heat. Add the red onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes until the onion has softened. Ramsay says “we don’t need to colour the onion, we need to sort of melt the onion.”
- Combine: Take the saucepan off the heat, stir in the bang bang sauce, then pour the whole lot into the wok. Add the bok choy and fresh chilli if using. Toss until the cauliflower is fully coated.
- Serve: Squeeze over the lime juice, scatter with coriander leaves and serve with boiled rice and green vegetables.
Notes
- This combines the Ramsay in 10 printed recipe with extras from his YouTube version: the bok choy, lime and fresh chilli are from the video. Without them it still works, just less vibrant. If you cannot find rice flour, cornflour works but gives a slightly heavier texture. Ramsay uses sesame and olive oil in the video, but the book calls for sesame and vegetable oil. Either works.
FAQs
What is bang bang cauliflower?
Cauliflower florets shallow-fried until charred and crispy, then tossed in a sweet, spicy sauce. The name comes from bang bang chicken, a Sichuan dish where meat was tenderised by banging it with a stick. Ramsay says he “started making this with chicken, bang bang chicken, bang bang pork, but with cauliflower, so tasty.”
Most recipes online batter and deep-fry the cauliflower, then coat it in a mayo-based sauce. Ramsay’s version has no batter, no mayo and no deep fryer. In the video he makes it clear: “shallow fry, not deep fried, there’s a big difference.” If you like bold sauces on vegetables, Ramsay’s duck stir fry uses the same wok technique with different aromatics.
Why does he use rice flour instead of batter?
Because rice flour gives a light, dry coating that crisps in a hot pan without absorbing oil. It does not form a heavy shell the way a wet batter does, so the cauliflower stays crisp even after being tossed in the sauce.
This is also what keeps the dish gluten-free. Most bang bang cauliflower recipes use plain flour or panko breadcrumbs, which add gluten and need deep frying. Rice flour in a hot wok means less oil, less mess and a lighter finish.
Same principle behind tempura: less gluten in the coating, crispier it stays.
Can you make bang bang cauliflower in an air fryer?
Ramsay makes it in a wok, but air frying works with adjustments. Toss the florets in rice flour with a tablespoon of oil, then air fry at 200C (400F) for 12-15 minutes, shaking halfway, until golden at the edges. Make the sauce and aromatics separately, then toss everything together.
The texture is slightly different because a wok gives direct contact charring while an air fryer gives a more even crispness. Both are good. The sauce and aromatics stay the same either way.
Is this actually vegan?
Yes. Ramsay marks the recipe V, VG, GF and DF in the book: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free. No egg, no cream, no butter, no mayo anywhere.
The sauce is maple syrup, hot sauce and sweet chilli. The coating is rice flour. The aromatics are cooked in sesame oil.
Most bang bang cauliflower online is not vegan because it uses mayonnaise in the sauce and egg in the batter. Ramsay avoids both. For Ramsay’s cauliflower cheese he uses double cream and cheddar, so this is a completely different take on the same vegetable.
What do you serve with bang bang cauliflower?
Ramsay serves it with boiled rice and green vegetables. Steamed jasmine rice works well because it absorbs the sauce. Stir-fried pak choi or tenderstem broccoli would sit well alongside, though the video version already has bok choy in the dish.
It also works as a party snack on a sharing plate, or inside warm tortillas with shredded lettuce and lime for bang bang cauliflower tacos. A simple kale salad with a sharp dressing cuts through the sweetness of the sauce nicely.
