Korean fried chicken owes as much to its sauce and its shattering crust as it does to the chicken, which is exactly why cauliflower works so well in its place. The florets fry up craggy and golden, and their mild sweetness gives the gochujang somewhere to land.
Two things make or break it. Fry twice, so the crust dehydrates and sets properly, and toss the cauliflower in the sauce at the very last second before it goes to the table. A pan of yangnyeom sitting under fried food for five minutes is a soggy pan of yangnyeom.
Jocheong, the Korean rice syrup, is what gives the sauce its lacquered shine without making it cloying. Serve with pickled radish and cold beer, the way it is done in Korean chicken shops.
