A delicious meatless take-out inspired recipe for those of you that are vegetarians or just simply love vegetables. I invite you to ditch those take-out menus, save some money and make this Real Deal General Tso’s Cauliflower Recipe. It’s perfect for those nights when you get together with friends and family or if you have a little more time to cook at home
There are many interesting ways to cook cauliflower. Like tofu, the cauliflower is versatile. They are able to adapt accordingly to the added flavors allowing you to branch out and make your favorite foods. Cauliflower can be used to make pizza or even rice. this vegetable is great when steamed, made as a soup, roasted or mashed. This week I decided to fry them and pair it with a General Tso’s Sauce similar to the well known General Tso’s Chicken you often see in takeout menus.
This is a great alternative for vegetarians, especially those of you that are still having a hard time transitioning to a vegetarian lifestyle. Place them over rice and pour some extra sauce on top. They are delightful!
There are two important components to this recipe. First is the batter and the second one is the sauce. Let me tell you a few important things about them:
Batter: The batter is made with flour, eggs and a few spices including my new discovery this smoked chili salt that gives the cauliflower a little kick of amazing flavors. You can also use cayenne pepper or smoked paprika it works as well. The texture of the batter should be thick and it can be made in advance just make sure to place it in a container with a lid to prevent the batter from getting dry. Also, make sure to whisk one more time after getting out of the fridge and let it get to room temperature before using it.
Sauce: The General Tso’s sauce is made with ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, and some sugar. It’s very easy to change the sweetness label in the sauce. You can add or reduce the amount of sugar depending on your taste. You can also substitute the sugar with molasses or brown sugar.
The first thing I like to do is to make the batter. As I said before either I made the batter the night before which will save you some time and that is always good. Or just the same day which is freshly made.
Lets cook, shall we?
Preparation:
Cut the cauliflower head into florets
How to make batter:
In a big mixing bowl combine the flour, corn starch baking powder, regular salt, and eggs.
Next, add vegetable broth and whisk until all ingredients are well combined. Proceed to add the smoked salt and combine. The batter should be rich in texture.
Coat the cauliflower florets with the batter and then with breadcrumbs. Set aside until it’s time to fry them.
How to fry the cauliflowers:
First, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over high heat. Make sure the oil is hot before placing the cauliflower
Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden brown
Remove from the oil and place the fried cauliflower on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. This will prevent the cauliflower from becoming soggy. Set aside and prepare the sauce!
How to make the General Tso’s Sauce:
Over medium-low in a small saucepan heat the sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger and some cayenne pepper for extra heat (this is optional, I like mine spicy).
Stir and continue adding the vegetable broth, sugar, tomato paste and soy sauce. Continue cooking over medium-low heat.
In a small cup dissolve the corn starch with 2 tablespoons of water. Next, whisk until a milky consistency is obtained.
Reduce heat to low. Slightly pour the corn starch into the sauce and whisk continuously, continue cooking for about 10 minutes or until it thickens.
Now for the most exciting part. How to pair these amazing fried cauliflowers with the sauce:
Remove the paper towel and coat the fried cauliflower with the sauce. Toss the cauliflower with the sauce until well coated.
Garnish with some sesame seeds and some scallions. Serve over rice and enjoy!
And Just like Take-out, next day leftovers are the best!
Below you will find an easily printable recipe card. Please, feel free to leave any comments and/or suggestions. I would be delighted to hear from you all.
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Until the next one…
Enjoy!
GENERAL TSO’S CAULIFLOWER TAKE-OUT INSPIRED RECIPE
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 head Cauliflower
- Enough oil to fry the cauliflower depending on the size of your pan.
Batter Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup corn starch
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon smoked chili salt
- 4 eggs (room temperature)
- ½ vegetable broth (you can substitute for chicken broth or just water)
General Tso’s sauce Ingredients:
- 1 ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tablespoon puree ginger (or fresh knob grated)
- ½ cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup of rice vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar (you can use brown sugar or molasses)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste (you can use tomato sauce as well but increase the amount to 3 tbs)
- 2 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
Preparation:
- Cut the cauliflower head into florets
How to make batter:
- In a big mixing bowl combine the flour, corn starch baking powder, regular salt, and eggs.
- Add vegetable broth and whisk until all ingredients are well combined. The batter should be rich in texture. Proceed to add the smoked salt and combine.
- Coat the cauliflower florets with the batter and then with breadcrumbs. Set aside until it’s time to fry them.
How to fry the cauliflowers:
- First, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over high heat. Make sure the oil is hot before placing the cauliflower
- Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes each side or until golden brown
- Remove from the oil and place the fried cauliflower on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. This will prevent the cauliflower from becoming soggy. Set aside and prepare the sauce!
How to make the General Tso’s Sauce:
- Over medium-low in a small saucepan heat the sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger and some cayenne pepper for extra heat (this is optional, I like mine spicy).
- Stir and continue adding the vegetable broth, sugar, tomato paste and soy sauce. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
- In a small cup dissolve the corn starch with 2 tablespoons of water. Next, whisk until a milky consistency is obtained.
- Reduce heat to low. Slightly pour the corn starch into the sauce and whisk continuously, continue cooking for about 10 minutes or until it thickens.
Now for the most exciting part. How to pair these amazing fried cauliflowers with the sauce:
- Remove the paper towel and coat the fried cauliflower with the sauce. Toss the cauliflower with the sauce until well coated.
- Garnish with some sesame seeds and some scallions. Serve over rice and enjoy!
Notes
- Garnish with some sesame seeds and some scallions. Serve over rice and enjoy!
- For another delicious cauliflower recipe check out my creamy mashed cauliflower.
- And Just like Take-out, next day leftovers are the best!
