Coliflor Recipe

Place the thinly sliced red onion in a small bowl. Combine rice vinegar, water, sugar, and salt; stir until sugar and salt dissolve. Pour over onions, press down to submerge, and let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 2 hours) while you prepare the rest. Reserve cilantro and lime wedges for plating.

Remove stems and seeds from the dried guajillos. Toast them briefly in a dry skillet over medium heat for 20–30 seconds per side until fragrant (do not burn).

Place toasted guajillos in a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak 15 minutes until softened, then drain, reserving about 2 tbsp of the soaking liquid.

In a small skillet, heat 1 tsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for 30 seconds. Add soaked guajillos, chipotle in adobo, tomato paste, brown sugar, white vinegar, salt and the reserved soaking liquid (or water). Cook 1–2 minutes to combine and slightly reduce.

Transfer mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender and puree until smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup water to reach a saucy, spreadable consistency. Taste and adjust salt or acidity. Set adobo aside.

In a small blender or food processor combine serrano, cilantro leaves, lime juice, olive oil, honey or agave, salt, and 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth and emulsified. If too thick, add an extra teaspoon of water at a time until pourable but still slightly creamy. Chill until ready to use.

Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets, rinse and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Excess moisture prevents the batter from adhering.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

Add cold beer to the dry ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter forms. Add a few ice cubes or extra-cold beer if batter warms; the batter should be cold and slightly thick—coatable but not pasty. Let batter rest 5 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep skillet or pot to 350°F (175°C). If you don't have a thermometer, test with a small drop of batter; it should sizzle and rise immediately.

Working in batches (do not overcrowd), dip each cauliflower floret into the beer batter, letting excess drip off, and carefully lower into hot oil. Fry 3–4 minutes per batch until golden brown and crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer fried cauliflower to a paper towel–lined tray to drain. Keep warm in a single layer in a 200°F (95°C) oven while finishing remaining batches.

When all florets are fried, transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Spoon the guajillo adobo over the hot cauliflower (start with 3–4 tbsp) and gently toss to coat evenly. Taste and add more adobo as desired — you want a glossy coating but not soggy.

Drizzle the chile serrano dressing over the coated cauliflower (about 1–2 tbsp) and toss lightly to distribute bright heat and herb flavor.

Arrange the sauced cauliflower on a serving platter. Scatter pickled onions over the top and sprinkle with the reserved fresh cilantro leaves.

Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side. Provide extra chile serrano dressing and guajillo adobo for dipping if desired.