Cauliflower Tots
6 January 2014 | 52 comments
Posted in Chinese, Featured Articles, finger food, vegetable, Vegetarian, Western
Posted in Chinese, Featured Articles, finger food, vegetable, Vegetarian, Western
RECIPE FOR CAULIFLOWER TOTS
Source: Adapted and modified from Skinny Taste
Make: About 28 cauliflower tots
Ingredients:
200 grams cauliflower
35 grams onion, chopped finely
6 grams fresh coriander/ cilantro (leaves only),chopped finely
33 grams cheddar cheese, grated
30 grams breadcrumbs (note 1)
30-35 grams mayonnaise
½ – 1 egg white (note 2)
2 teaspoons corn flour
⅓ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepperMethods:
- Prepare the cauliflower – wash and cut off the stems. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Steam a little for about 4-5 minutes (note 3) or until tender but not mushy. Drain well and pat dry on paper towel. Using a knife, chop the cauliflower finely and set aside 200g.
- In a mixing bowl, combine cauliflower, onion, coriander leaves, cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs. Then, stir in mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Followed by egg white (use accordingly and refer note 2) and lastly corn flour. With clean hand, mix up all the ingredients until well combined. Give the mixture a taste test. Before adding extra salt and pepper, do take into account the saltiness of the cheese.
- At this point, the mixture is a little soft to form small ovals but it is fine.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and transfer it to the fridge to chill for an hour or until it firms up slightly.
- After an hour, remove bowl from the fridge. Lightly oil both your palms. Scoop 1 tablespoon mixture and form into small ovals. Place on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil. Freeze for 1-2 hours until solid (note 4)
- Preheat oven at 200°C for 15 minutes. Prepare a baking tray lined with non-stick parchment paper (note 5). Brush the paper with oil.
- Five minutes before the preheating ends, remove the cauliflower tots from the freezer. Do not need to thaw.
- Brush a little oil on the frozen tots and place on the baking tray.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cauliflower tots are firmed enough to flip over.
- Gently flip the cauliflower tots over and bake for another 12 minutes or until golden. Turn the baking tray halfway to ensure even colour.
Notes:
- I use homemade wholemeal breadcrumbs. You can use any brand that you like.
- You don’t need to use all the egg white. I only used about ½ large egg white for binding.
- The time required for steaming should only be served as a guide. If you steam without any preheating, the time is about 10-12 minutes.
- These cauliflower can be frozen and cooked on a later date. Just pop the frozen tots into a zip lock bag or any Cook them direct from freezer. No need to thaw.
- To avoid that the cauliflower from sticking on your baking tray, use good quality parchment paper or greased proof paper. I used GLAD BAKE non stick baking and cooking paper.
This looks fantastic!!!! Thanks for sharing!!! Can’t wait to try it out!!!
Winnie: Thank you for your compliment! Do let me know after trying it out. 🙂
What a great finger food! My family not fancy cauliflower too, hopefully with this recipe, it would change their mind. 🙂
Alice: Hope it will convince them to love cauliflower too! 😉
Hi,is this corn starch same as corn flour? can i use plain flour instead corn flour?
Thanks
Ashley: Yes, they are the same. Since the amount is quite minimal, you may do so. 🙂
I did not really enjoy cauliflower when I was a kid. I think I grew to like this veg more after trying Aloo Gobi – the Indian cauliflower dish, then I started preparing cauliflower in ways that are so much more tastier.
Love your cauliflower tots definitely and I am sure they are very addictive and yummy!
Tigerfish: I love Aloo Gobi too but just don’t like to replicate it at home because they are fried. 🙂
Cauliflower is one of my childhood favourite veggie and my mom couldn’t stir-fry enough of it for me when I was a kid. 🙂
The way you describe this dish got me into an adventurous mood of trying out new dishes. Will definitely want to try your recipe out. Just a matter of time 😀 Thanks a lot for sharing the important pointers so that we could enjoy your success too 😀
Ling: Hope this dish will be another hit in your family! Do share your feedback after trying it out. 😉
Love your traditional forks, btw 😀
Ling: These are my mother-in-law’s collection. Hehehe! 🙂
Great idea to use up the cauliflower lurking at the bottom of my fridge. I always plan to eat more veg and buy lots on sale then forget about it.
Wokandspoon: This recipe will definitely make your kids eat more cauliflower than before. 🙂
Love your idea..is it ok if i deep fried it?
Yee: Thanks! I haven’t tried it before but it sounds feasible. Do let me know how it turns out yeah. 😉
Hi… May i know is it okay if i omit mayonaise? Thanks
Miki Ngu: Mayonnaise will add more flavour to these cauliflower tots. You may omit it if you want. Happy trying and looking forward to hearing your feedback! 🙂
Looks so beautiful and perfect.. love it 🙂
Hari Chandana: Thank you! 🙂
Really lovely recipe!!! Will give it a try.. do you have recipes for broccoli too?
Thanks
Shokora: Glad you love it! So sorry, not at this moment. 🙂
Hi,
I tried this today. The mixture before cooking already smells so good! I used left over cauliflower I have, insufficient so I added some broccoli, then also added some left over button mushrooms since I have them in the fridge. Haha they taste great!
Thanks for the recipe. Seems it is flexible enough to take different ingredients.
Mandy: Wow! You’re so creative! Hehe, never know it’s so versatile. Really appreciate your kind sharing! 😉
Hi, do you reckon I can use a basic bread toaster for this dish ? I dont have an oven right now. Thank you !
Linty: If you can select the temperature, then you can give it a try. Otherwise, you can try pan frying or deep-frying. 🙂
Hi, how do u make your own wholemeal breadcrumbs ? Jus toast the bread then smash it? Yr breadcrumbs in the pic looked really fine , did u use a food processor? Tks!
Janice: I toasted the bread with low heat (with oven) and then put inside a plastic bag to smash into fine crumbs. You can also do that with a food processor. 🙂
Hi
Do I have to frozen the cauliflower first before I can bake it?
Huiqi
Huiqi: Freezing helps to hold the shape of these tots because the mixture is quite wet. You can skip freezing if you like. 🙂
I tried this by putting into freeze but half baking it too soft to turn over..
do you face this problem?
Huiqi: Different ovens have different temperature setting. If the tots are still soft, then you need to bake them slightly longer until you can flip them. Do note that these tots are quite fragile. So, you may need to flip them gently. It will be better to use 2 spoons than a tong to do the flipping. 🙂
[…] 17. Cauliflower Tots […]
Is there a source to find calorie ,fat etc. count? I want to make these for my grand kids but am worried about their nutritional value
Thanks
Kathy
Kathy Carter: Maybe you can try this link: http://caloriecount.about.com/. Hope it helps! 🙂
Hi can you use frozen florets for this recipe.
Carole: I haven’t tried frozen florets for this recipe before. It sounds feasible to me. 🙂
Don’t skip the egg yolks – especially for kids. They’re loaded with nutrients for cognitive function.
Evelyn Halpin: Thank you for your kind input! 🙂
[…] Food 4 Tots shares a recipe for irresistible cauliflower tots. […]
I think my daughter is allergic to eggs. Is there anything else I can use to replace egg in this recipe?
ACH: Here is a link which recommends some substitutions for eggs – http://chefinyou.com/egg-substitutes-cooking/. Check out the section titled “Savory dishes (as binder/ coating). Hope it helps! 🙂
Hi, Can I freeze the cauliflower tots overnight and bake it the next day?
Sherny: Yes, you can do so. Just bake them straight from the freezer (without defrosting). 🙂
I tried the cauliflower tots yesterday, my son like it and the adults also love it. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Sherny: Thank you for the kind feedback!! So glad it suits your family’s palate! 🙂
[…] Baked fingers – Baking, as a healthier substitute for frying is not a foreign concept. Just slice your veggies into strips and cubes, coat them with a dressing and put into the oven. Fresh, hot and crispy vegetable fingers at your service. https://food-4tots.com/2014/01/06/cauliflower-tots/ […]
Thanks you so much for these very heal t rthy and delicious recipe.
Christina Aleman: You’re welcome! 🙂
These sound great! I am sharing this on Pinterest!
Roberta: Thanks! 🙂
[…] for Tots has a great recipe for Cauliflower tots that kids will […]