Using cupboard staples and wild garlic foraged from the hedgerows during our daily walk, one of our guests’ favourite private chefs Dave Sargent shares his sticky cauliflower and coconut rice recipe. This takes home-cooking to the next level without having to go on a supermarket hunt for rare ingredients. 

Ingredients 

For the cauliflower;

  • One medium cauliflower
  • 200g of plain or gluten-free flour
  • 300ml of milk
  • A pinch of salt and pepper
  • One teaspoon of ground ginger
  • 300g of panko or gluten-free breadcrumbs

For the rice;

  • 80g of long grain rice per person
  • Coconut milk, enough to double the amount of rice you're using

For the sticky soy drizzle;

  • 100ml of soy sauce
  • 150g of dark brown sugar
  • Half a teaspoon of chilli flakes
  • One clove of garlic
  • Half a teaspoon of fish sauce (optional)

For the wild garlic sauce;

  • Two handfuls of wild garlic
  • Half a clove of garlic
  • Ten plain cashew nuts 
  • Olive oil 

Method

Start by preheating your oven to 200°C for the cauliflower. When this is preheating, chop the cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Whisk the milk, flour and ginger into a batter then coat the cauliflower and roll through the breadcrumbs. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

While the cauliflower is baking, wash the rice thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clear. Place the rice in a saucepan and whisk in enough coconut milk until it’s double the amount of rice, use hot water if you need to top this up with more liquid. Simmer with a lid on for five minutes, turn off and leave with the lid on for ten minutes. 

In the meantime, prepare the sticky soy drizzle by simmering the soya sauce, brown sugar, chilli flakes, fish sauce and crushed garlic for three to five minutes until thickened and syrup-like in consistency. Remove the garlic when coming to serve. 

For the sauce, blend the wild garlic, garlic clove, cashew nuts and olive oil until it's a rustic pesto consistency. Now all of the elements are done, plate up the rice and top with the cauliflower followed by the sauce, finishing off with the drizzle and a sprinkle of wild garlic flowers if desired. 

For more recipes, find Dave Sargent on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Youtube.