Vegan Black Pepper 'Crab'
This Vegan Black Pepper 'Crab' is delicious and packed with peppery heat from black and white peppercorns. It's made with air-fried cauliflower, curry leaves and fragrant spices.
Servings: 3 people
Equipment
- Air-Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 head of medium-sized cauliflower about 500g
- 2 large shallots about 100g
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 red jalapenõ or 3 Thai chilies
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- ½ tablespoon whole black peppercorn
- ½ tablespoon whole white peppercorn
- oil for cooking
- a handful of curry leaves
- a handful of chopped green onions
Batter Ingredients
- 125 g all-purpose flour or plain flour
- ¾ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons vegan 'oyster' sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
- Clean cauliflower and remove the outer leaves. Cut cauliflower into florets, rinse with water and drain well. This is a crucial step as you don't want the excess water to dilute the batter.
- To prepare the cauliflower, mix the batter ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Then, dip florets into the batter and air-fry in a preheated air-fryer at 390°F (200°C) for 8-10 minutes until golden brown, with a shake in between.
- In heated non-stick pan, toast peppercorns for 30-45 seconds, then let it cool down.
- Transfer to a mortar and pestle and pound them into tiny bits. Alternatively, use a spice grinder or small food processor to crush the peppercorns. See Notes for crushed peppers.
- To make the black pepper sauce, add a tablespoon of oil in a preheated non-stick pan, then sauté shallots until translucent, and continue to cook the garlic until fragrant.
- Add in the butter and let it melt, then continue to add the add chilies, curry leaves, and crushed peppercorns.
- Stir until well combined and season with soy sauce, sugar, and vegan 'oyster' sauce. Add the cauliflower florets and toss until well combined.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and more chilis, then serve warm.
Notes
- To substitute whole peppercorns with ground black and white peppers, use: 3 teaspoons of crushed black pepper and 1 teaspoon of white pepper.
- Other methods to prepare the cauliflower:
- BAKE - Brush the coated cauliflower florets with oil. Then lay them flat on a greased baking pan and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 25 - 30 minutes.
- FRY - Fry coated cauliflower florets in 365F (185°C) until golden brown.
- For a homemade vegan 'oyster' sauce, please see my Vegan Stir-Fry sauce.