Bang Bang Cauliflower: Wagamama Style
Hot, sweet and slightly sticky, this umami rich homemade bang bang cauliflower is a great fakeaway recipe. It not only tastes similar to the much loved Wagamama original, but it’s easy to make at home. Glaze the cauliflower thickly with firecracker sauce for a side dish, or loosen it with a little light stock for a main dish to accompany rice or noodles.
The first time I tried bang bang cauliflower at Wagamama, I was smitten. I’ve never looked back. Who needs breaded or battered cauliflower with creamy sauces when you can have this fiery and saucy dish to bang bang you between the eyes?
Dive Right In
- What Is Bang Bang Cauliflower
- Why Make Bang Bang Cauliflower?
- Ingredients
- How To Make Bang Bang Cauliflower
- Other Sticky Asian Inspired Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- Pin It
- The Recipe
What Is Bang Bang Cauliflower?
The name bang bang actually comes from the stick used in China to tenderise chickens. Now that’s an onomatopoeic word if ever I heard one. Bang bang chicken is a classic Sichuan street food dish.
Traditionally, it consists of poached chicken covered in a hot, salty, sweet and sour sauce. As it’s a Sichuan dish, the real deal is made with Sichuan peppercorns. The other ingredients include sesame paste, chilli oil and black vinegar.
Non-meat eaters have, of course, veganised it. Out with the chicken and in with the tofu, or rather more surprisingly, cauliflower.
The best thing about using cauliflower is that there’s no need to bang anything. Unless you’re in a bad mood of course and then a little banging of pots together can be quite therapeutic.
The Wagamama version fries red onions and cauliflower florets then coats them with a firecracker sauce. My version tastes similar, but I suspect is quite a bit healthier. The florets are lightly boiled for a tender bite, then stir-fried. I use less salt and no refined sugar, yet it still packs a delicious punch in every mouthful.
Why Make Bang Bang Cauliflower?
If you’ve ever craved the bold, fiery flavours of Wagamama’s bang bang cauliflower, this recipe is for you. Forget the takeaway and make your own fakeaway. It’s quick, simple and adaptable, which makes it a great choice for both midweek meals and impressing guests.
- Adaptable Heat Levels – Whilst bang bang cauliflower is perfect for chilli fiends, it’s easy to adjust for those with milder palates.
- Bold Flavours – The firecracker sauce delivers a mouthwatering balance of heat, sweetness and umami notes, making every bite unforgettable.
- Healthier Alternative – By lightly boiling and stir-frying the cauliflower instead of deep-frying, this recipe offers a lighter yet equally satisfying take on this delicious dish.
- Quick and Simple – With straightforward preparation steps, it’s a great choice for midweek meals or impressing guests with minimal effort.
- Restaurant Food at Home – Capture the flavours of Wagamama’s iconic dish without leaving your kitchen. It’s perfect for those who love to recreate their favourite dining experiences.
- Vegan-Friendly – It’s a fantastic plant-based dish which appeals to vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. If you’re looking to add more veggies to your diet, this recipe is a good place to start.
- Versatile Dish – Enjoy bang bang cauliflower as a dinner party starter, a side dish or even a main meal. In the latter case pair it with rice or noodles.
Ingredients
Other than the components needed for the firecracker sauce, you don’t need much to make this easy recipe. Other than the oil and sauce, there are only five ingredients required.
Cauliflower
If you are at all able, do go for an organic cauliflower. It’s not only healthier for you, but also for the soils needed to grow our crops.
My recipe calls for a medium-sized one, but you can always make more or less if yours is bigger or smaller.
Aromatics
Other than the firecracker sauce itself, root ginger, spring onions (scallions), red onion and coriander leaves (cilantro) provide the flavours in this dish.
Firecracker Sauce Ingredients
For this six ingredient firecracker sauce you need a few store cupboard essentials. It’s really worth keeping all of these in stock as you can use them to perk up so many dishes. They keep for ages so won’t go to waste.
Brown Rice Vinegar
This provides a mild and slightly sweet acidic hit. It’s commonly used in Asian cuisine. If you can’t get hold of brown rice vinegar, use ordinary rice vinegar or failing that balsamic vinegar.
Chilli Sauce
Firecracker sauce is meant to be hot, the clue is in the name, so a hot chilli sauce is perfect. I use my homemade chilli sauce, which is not only hot and flavoursome, but quite thick too. Just right for the job. If your chilli sauce doesn’t have the heat levels you’re looking for, just add a few chilli flakes as well.
If you really don’t like the heat, but want to try bang bang cauliflower, use a mild chilli sauce instead.
Maple Syrup
What’s not to love about maple syrup? Here it adds flavour as well as sweetness to the sauce. Most bang bang sauces contain sugar, but although maple syrup is more expensive, it’s quite a lot healthier and not as cloyingly sweet.
If you’re not vegan, honey makes a fine substitute.
Mirin
This is a Japanese cooking wine and it’s made from fermented rice. It’s similar to sake, but sweeter and with a lower alcohol content. It has a subtle sweet flavour with strong umami notes.
If you don’t have mirin, medium or sweet sherry make an acceptable substitute.
Soy Sauce
Tamari is my favourite soy sauce. It’s full of flavour, but has less salt in than most. Unlike others, it’s also gluten-free. It adds the main umami and salty elements to the sauce.
If you can’t get hold of tamari, use your favourite soy sauce instead. But it’s really worth having a bottle in the cupboard and it lasts for ages.
Toasted Sesame Oil
Another must have store cupboard staple if you like Asian cuisine. It’s quite strong and you only need a small amount for most recipes. As it has a low smoke point, it’s best to add it after cooking rather than during.
It infuses my firecracker sauce with complex nutty notes.
How To Make Bang Bang Cauliflower
Unlike the official Wagamama recipe, I blanch the cauliflower florets prior to frying. This is to ensure they’re cooked through and tender. I find it works much better than trying to stir-fry them alone. But then I don’t have a wok.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions, timings and quantities of ingredients used.
Cauliflower Stir-Fry
Step 1. Prepare Aromatics
Prior to starting this recipe, it’s important, as with most stir-fries, to prepare the ingredients first.
Scrub the ginger, then slice it into matchsticks. There’s no need to peel it unless there are any bad bits on it which need removing.
Peel the red onion, cut it in half, then slice it finely.
Trim the spring onions, then slice into two to three centimetre (one inch) batons.
Wash and dry the coriander leaves, including the stems. Then chop roughly.
Step 2. Prepare Cauliflower
Rinse and shake dry the cauliflower, then chop it into smallish florets. Include the stems and as many of the leaves as look edible.
Blanch the florets in lightly salted boiling water for three minutes.
Tip immediately into a colander to drain and steam dry. You don’t want the florets getting soft. Hang on to the water if serving this as a main dish.
Whilst the cauli florets are boiling, prepare the firecracker sauce (see below).
Step 3. Stir-Fry
Place a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat. If you have a wok, so much the better. I don’t.
Pour in the oil, then add the onion slices and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the ginger sticks and stir-fry for a further minute.
Add the cauliflower florets and stir-fry until the cauliflower is cooked and charred in places. The florets should be tender, but still have a bite to them.
Add the spring onions and stir-fry for a further minute or two.
Add the firecracker sauce and stir. Let it bubble away, stirring all the time until it’s thick and coats everything in a sticky layer. There should be no liquid left in the pan.
As soon as the sauce hits the pan and you’ve given it a good stir, add two thirds of the coriander leaves together with the stems. Stir again and remove from the heat.
Top Tip
If using a wok, cook the cauliflower for a couple of minutes less.
Step 4. Serve
As a side dish, transfer the cauliflower into a serving bowl, scatter the sesame seeds and remaining coriander leaves over the top. Eat straight away whilst still hot.
For a main dish, add some of the cauliflower water and stir it in so that you have more of a sauce. Serve whilst hot with rice and scatter the sesame seeds and remaining coriander over the top.
Eat with or without chopsticks and enjoy.
Firecracker Sauce
In a jug or small bowl, whisk all of the sauce ingredients together until homogenised.
Other Sticky Asian Inspired Recipes You Might Like
- Air fryer tofu with sticky sesame sauce
- Aubergine yakitori
- Sticky chilli broccoli
- Sticky gochujang tempeh
- Vegan teriyaki sauce
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this bang bang cauliflower, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for making these types of dishes?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, tag me @choclette8 so I can see them.
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Choclette x
Bang Bang Cauliflower. PIN IT.
Bang Bang Cauliflower: Wagamama Style
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower medium-sized – broken into florets
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil or other neutral tasting cooking oil
- 1 red onion halved and finely sliced
- 2 thumb size knob root ginger peeled and sliced into fine matchsticks
- 2 spring onions (scallions) sliced into 2½ cm (one inch) batons
- ½ bunch coriander leaves (cilantro) roughly chopped, including stems
- ½ tsp sesame seeds to finish
Firecracker Sauce
- 1 tbsp brown rice vinegar* or balsamic
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp chilli sauce I used my homemade chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp tamari (affiliate link) or your preferred soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup*
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil*
Instructions
- Boil the cauliflower florets in lightly salted water for 3 minutes. Tip into a cauliflower to drain and steam dry. Hang on to the water if serving this as a main dish.1 cauliflower
- Place a wide frying pan over a high heat. If you have a wok, so much the better. I don’t.
- Pour in the oil, then add the onion slices and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.2 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 red onion
- Add the ginger sticks and stir-fry for a further minute.2 thumb size knob root ginger
- Add the cauliflower florets and stir-fry for 6-7 minutes or until the cauliflower is cooked and charred in places. It should retain a bit of a bite.
- Add the spring onions and stir-fry for a further minute or two.2 spring onions (scallions)
- Add the firecracker sauce and stir. Let it bubble away, stirring all the time until it’s thick and coats everything in a sticky layer. There should be no liquid left in the pan.
- As soon as the sauce hits the pan and you've given it a good stir, add ⅔ of the coriander leaves together with the stems. Stir again then remove from the heat.
- As a side dish, transfer the cauliflower into a serving bowl, scatter the sesame seeds and remaining coriander leaves over the top.½ tsp sesame seeds
- For a main, add 100 ml (½ cup) of the cauliflower water and stir it in so that you have more of a sauce. Serve with rice or noodles and scatter the sesame seeds and remaining coriander over the top.
Firecracker Sauce
- For the sauce, whisk everything together in a small jug until homogenised.1 tbsp brown rice vinegar*, 1 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp chilli sauce, 2 tbsp tamari (affiliate link), 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup*, 2 tsp toasted sesame oil*
This was delicious!
Thank you Janet, so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
great recipe and I especially like it when you give the healthier version!
Thank you, it’s a lovely way to eat cauliflower. I do tend to make healthier versions if at all possible.
I love cauliflower!! this sounds very tasty indeed. and we love chilli in this house so i’d use a nice hot one for sure.
cheers
sherry
We’ve become a nation of chilli lovers here in the UK. I think Australia got there before us.
What a great idea to turn the humble cauliflower into a delicious – and hot – oriental treat. It looks like a fairly simple recipe that a kitchen klutz such as me could cope with.
Haha, I’m very sure you could cope with it. It is indeed a delicious treat though and well worth making.