TikToker @lagomchef posted a viral video with a game-changing food waste hack.
The video details a delicious recipe to salvage the parts of a cauliflower that often get tossed to the side and thrown into the waste bin — like the stem and leaves that hold the floret.
@lagomchef Zero waste fritters!!! These are great to do with any veg but especially cauliflower stem and leaves!!! So easy! Just mix gram flour with water to make a paste and flavour it! Good luck enjoy and love you all #fyp #foryoupage #viral #cauliflower #foodwaste #cooking ♬ original sound - Lagomchef
The chef starts by thinly slicing the stem and leaves, and finishes with a delicious, crispy veggie fritter. After slicing the cauliflower, they chop an onion to enhance the dish, noting that another veggie ingredient could be seamlessly substituted.
Once @lagomchef had a solid base of vegetables, they bring it all together into one tasty fritter. To add flavor, the TikToker adds salt, curry powder, and za'atar, and then moves on to creating a binding for the dish.
In order to transform the ingredients from loose to moldable, the chef brings out some chickpea flour and water. Adding the flour and water gradually, the TikToker eyeballs proportions to eventually end up with a cohesive paste which allows them to shape the fritters.
The final step is to "shallow-fry" the fritters, which @lagomchef describes as being kind of like deep-frying, but shallow. The TikToker bites into their tasty creation –– fresh out of the pan and probably a bit too hot –– then does a little celebratory kitchen dance and adds a mayonnaise top off.
This recipe provides an excellent opportunity to keep nourishing food from going into the trash can and instead going into our bellies. While the recipe can certainly be followed exactly, there's also so much room for play: different veggies, different spices, maybe an air-fryer? This recipe can be stretched for miles.
With over 265,000 views and 2,800 comments, this video has grabbed the attention of many. Some TikTokers have noted in the comments that these fritters have similarities to Pakora, a well-loved spiced fritter originating from India.
"It's giving pakora/onion bhaji meets fritters🥰," writes one user.
Others are experiencing a cauliflower wake-up call.
"This is so smart. I'm kicking myself for ditching those leaves all these years," writes another.
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