Here’s an intriguing way to bring a filling vegetable dish to the table. The key to the dish is the sauce, a mix of roasted and ground mochi rice with sweet chile sauce.

The cauliflower is roasted, then the sauce is drizzled over.

Ingredient notes: The most common sweet chile sauce is a Thai variety sold in bottles under the Mae Ploy label. It can be found in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets, as can mochi rice.

Roasted Cauliflower with Chile Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), broken into florets

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

• For garnish: Thai basil, cilantro leaves, green onion, chile pepper

Ingredients for sauce:

• 1/4 cup sweet mochi rice

• 3-4 tablespoons Thai sweet chile sauce

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil.

Place cauliflower on prepared cookie sheet in an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and garlic salt. Toss well.

Roast 25 minutes, until just beginning to brown.

Meanwhile, make sauce: Brown rice in dry skillet. Use a spice or coffee grinder, or a mortar and grind rice to a powder. Stir into chile sauce.

Drizzle sauce over warm cauliflower; garnish as desired. Serves 6.

Approximate nutrient analysis per serving: 130 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 3 g protein. Nutritional analysis provided by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.

The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is an international nonprofit with a local office in Kaimuki. Its mission of community service includes the promotion of a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. To learn more, visit facebook.com/hawaiitzuchi or call 808-737-8885.