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Overhead shot of a bowl of crispy orange cauliflower with rice

Crispy Orange Cauliflower with Coconut Rice

This Crispy Orange Cauliflower with Coconut Rice has all of the elements you'd ever want in one dish: crunchy, texture-filled, sweet, spicy, savory, and absolutely delicious. The cauliflower is baked in the oven instead of fried, and the sauce comes together super easily, using mostly pantry staples! It's an incredibly flavorful, simple weeknight meal that the whole family will love.

Course Dinner, Main, Main Course
Keyword baked orange cauliflower, basmati coconut rice, crispy cauliflower, crispy orange cauliflower, glazed orange cauliflower, healthy orange cauliflower, orange cauliflower, orange cauliflower recipe, roasted orange cauliflower
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author Jessica of How Sweet Eats

Ingredients

For the coconut rice

  • 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
  • 1 1/2 cups canned coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut water
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons finely shredded, unsweetened coconut

For the cauliflower

  • olive oil spray
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400℉. To make the coconut rice: Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the rice, coconut milk, coconut water, and salt. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, then stir in the coconut oil. Stir in the shredded coconut.

  2. To make the cauliflower: Place a wire rack on a baking sheet (this helps everything stay crispy) and spray it with olive oil spray.

  3. In one bowl, lightly beat the eggs. In a second bowl, stir together the seasoned breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, and flour. Take each cauliflower floret and dip it in the egg, then dip it in the bread crumb mixture, coating it completely. Place it on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the other florets. Once they are all breaded, spray them with the olive oil spray. This will help the outsides brown! Roast the cauliflower for 25 minutes, or until it's golden and crunchy.

  4. While the cauliflower is roasting, make the sauce. In a saucepan, heat the honey, chili garlic sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, orange zest, orange juice, and garlic over medium heat. Whisk to combine. Cook until the mixture bubbles and let it simmer for a minute or two. Remove it from the heat and let it cool. It will thicken as it cools!

  5. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and drizzle it with the sauce. Sprinkle with scallions and serve over the coconut rice.

Recipe Notes

Recipe is from Everyday Dinners: Real-Life Recipes to Set Your Family Up for a Week of Success: A Cookbook, by Jessica Merchant of How Sweet Eats.