Bang Bang Broccoli

Despite the produce section being ravaged through on every trip I’ve made to the grocery store lately, there always seems to be broccoli. (Roasted broccoli is a staple in my home so I was very happy about this!)

During our stay-at-home order, I wanted to create a recipe using readily available ingredients + ingredients that you likely have at home. 

If you’re used to gluten-free cooking, you likely have most of these ingredients at home. If you don’t, or you’re unable to find anything on the ingredient list, I’ve created a whole list of substitutions so you can use what you have at home to make this delicious Bang Bang Broccoli! 

A few tips & tricks:

This recipe starts by making the bang bang sauce. When making this sauce, be sure to combine all ingredients EXCEPT FOR the mayo and sriracha, which will not blend well on the stove and are added once the sauce cools down.

(I had an overly dramatic meltdown while making this sauce, forgetting to wait on these ingredients, and ruining my sauce by trying to add ingredients to thicken it that resulted in a giant blob. Crisis was averted by me taking a few deep breaths, laughing at my quarantine broccoli meltdown, and starting over - but I’m hoping to help you avoid that whole situation. 😉)

When preparing your broccoli, it’s helpful to not chop off the entire stem. You’ll need a little space to hold onto for dipping in the batter!

Once you dip this broccoli in the batter, be sure it’s fully coated and shake off the excess. This (in combination with the Panko breadcrumbs) will help you get a nice, crispy outside.

It’s great over rice, paired with a side of protein, or delicious all on its own.

Bang Bang Broccoli Ingredients:

For the Bang Bang Sauce:

1/2 cup white wine vinegar*

1/3 c water

3 cloves garlic

1 inch piece of fresh ginger*

1/4 c honey*

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2/3 cup Avocado Oil Mayo (like Primal Kitchen)

2 tbsp sriracha*

For the Batter:

1 C. Almond Milk*

1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar*

1/4. C + 1 tablespoon coconut flour*

1/2 C. tapioca flour*

1 tsp salt

You'll also need:

1 head of broccoli

3/4 C. Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs (I love these Chickpea Panko ones!)

Two mixing bowls

A nonstick baking sheet*

*Substitutions below if you don’t have these ingredients

Bang Bang Broccoli Directions:

1. Start by making the bang bang sauce. Mince garlic and grate ginger (I like to use a microplane zester for the ginger because I find it to be much easier!) Combine all ingredients EXECPT FOR the mayo and sriracha into a small pot. Bring to a boil on the stovetop for 3 minutes, then turn to a heat and let simmer for 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 425°.

3. Combine almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl; stir gently and set aside to make dairy-free buttermilk.

4. Chop head of broccoli into bite size pieces. Don’t remove too much of the stem; you’ll need it for dipping!

5. Make the batter. In your bowl of almond milk + ACV, combine remaining ingredients and mix well until you have a cake batter texture. 

6. Put Panko breadcrumbs in another bowl. Dip broccoli into batter, shaking off excess better, than dip into Panko breadcrumbs until fully coated. 

7. Place on a nonstick baking sheet, or lightly spray avocado oil* onto an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through & lightly golden.

8. Finish the bang bang sauce; with the sauce cooled down, add in mayo + sriracha and mix well.

9. Combine broccoli & bang bang sauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients	Substitutions	Notes
White Wine Vinegar (Sauce)	Rice Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon Juice	Be sure the rice vinegar bottle states “gluten-free” if you have any sensitivities
Fresh Ginger	Ginger Power	Use 1 teaspon of ginger powder in placed of grated ginger
Honey	Maple Syrup, Monk Fruit Sweetener
Sriracha	Any other hot sauce or extra red pepper flakes	I recommend using another chili based hot sauce. If not, the flavor may be altered (which is okay!)
Apple Cider Vinegar (Batter)	Lemon Juice
Coconut Flour	Almond Flour, Cassava Flour, Other Gluten-Free Flour	As coconut flour is more absorbent than other flours, you may need to add more. Start by adding a tablespoon more at a time.
Tapioca Flour	Arrowroot, Cassava Flour, Pure Cornstarch
Nonstick Baking Sheet	A regular baking sheet lined with foil + avocado oil spray	I like to use my Misto to make spraying oils easy + it saves money vs. buying individual oil sprays. Of course, you can always use any spray oil that you have.