Roasted Cauliflower

Want something light and healthy, without compromising flavor? Try this roasted cauliflower tossed in the warm deep flavor of Cambodian Seven Spice and sprinkled with crunchy roasted garlic and California chili pepper.

Pan roasted cauliflower lightly tossed with Cambodian Seven Spice
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Cambodian, Chinese Cambodian
Keyword: Cambodian Seven Spice, Cauliflower, Vegan, Vegetable
Servings: 2 servings
Author: Channy Laux

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 head cauliflower cut into bite size
  • 1 tsp Angkor Cambodian Seven Spice
  • 1 tsp Angkor Thnot sugar*
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pod California Chili de-seed, cut into small pieces, and rinse
  • 1/2 cup green onion cut 1/4" long

Instructions

  • Preheat Baking Sheet Place 13”x18”x1” baking sheet in oven, set temperature to 425°F.
  • Marinate Cauliflower Whisk olive oil and soy sauce until completely incorporated. Drizzle over cauliflower, toss gently until evenly coated.
  • Prepare Spice Mix In a small bowl mix Cambodian Seven Spice, sugar and salt. Set aside
  • Roast Cauliflower When oven temperature reaches 425°F remove the baking sheet and pour the cauliflower mixture on the hot baking sheet. Spread into a single layer. Roast for about 10 minutes until cauliflower touching the baking sheet are brown. Stir and roast for additional 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
  • Roast Garlic and Chili In a large wok over medium high heat add oil, garlic and California chili. Stir continuously until garlic turns golden and crunchy. Reserve some roasted garlic and chili for garnish.
  • Final Step Add roasted cauliflower into the wok, mix well. Turn off the heat, add green onion (reserve some for garnish), mix well. Sprinkle with the spice mix, and toss until the cauliflower is coated evenly with spice.

Notes

Garnish with green onion, and roasted garlic and California chili.  Serve with steam rice as vegan main course, or served as side dish with Chinese sausage.
* Substitutions:
  • Substitute Thnot Sugar with brown sugar 
Tried this recipe?Mention @AngkorFood or tag #angkorfood, thank you!

Memory Lane

This dish is inspired by one of my mother’s beef jerky recipes (Saich Ko Ngeart), which is prepared with a combination of Chinese and Cambodian spices (Angkor Cambodian Seven Spice).

Growing up in Cambodia, I always associate the seven spice aroma with Saich Ko Ngeart or Kaw Ko. However, as I am motivated to incorporate more healthy dishes into my daily diet I do enjoy this flavor with hearty vegetables such as cauliflower. I suppose, it is fair to say that ‘seven spice’ evolved with my family as my fraternal grandfather was a Chinese refugee to Cambodia, and I am a refugee to America.

Published by Channy Laux

Channy Laux is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. She was thirteen-years-old when the Khmer Rouge took over the country in 1975. From 1975 to 1979, Channy endured starvation, horrendous working conditions, sickness and repeated separations from her family. In June of 1979, Channy arrived in Lincoln Nebraska as a refugee. After four years of no school and not knowing a word of English, she attended Lincoln High School; earned a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics from Santa Clara University and undergraduate degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Channy worked in Silicon Valley as an engineer in the Aerospace and Biotech industries for 30 years. In 2017 Channy decided to focus on completing a promise that she made to herself as she and her family struggled to survive the Cambodian genocide. “If I ever make it out alive, I will make sure the world knows what happened to us.” Channy published her memoir “Short Hair Detention”, which receives multiple awards, including Nebraska’s 2018 Book Award. Channy is also founder of Angkor Cambodian Food. Her goal is to bring Cambodian cuisine into American kitchens, by providing authentic and hard to find ingredients along with easy to follow recipes. One of her creations Kroeurng (Lemongrass cooking paste) receives sofiTM Award from Specialty Foods and Innovation Foodservice Award from IFMA. Channy now balances her time between her business and educating communities on the Cambodian Genocide. She works with schools and other organizations to promote awareness of Cambodian Genocide. She is a member of Speakers Bureau for JFCS Holocaust Center.

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