General Tso’s Cauliflower is a delicious alternative to classic Chinese takeout General Tso’s Chicken. It’s crispy, super tasty, vegetarian and vegan, and you might just like this recipe more than the chicken version!
Cauliflower: A Great Vegetarian Stand-In
We were starting to think cauliflower recipes were beginning to go out of style. Or perhaps that people had exhausted all of the cauliflower recipes they could think of. (Cauliflower pizza dough, cauliflower dips, cauliflower soup, etc.), but, then again, that really would never happen right?
After all, cauliflower is the new kale.
So here we have a General Tso’s Cauliflower recipe.
The story behind it is that a good friend of mine invited us over to his house for an Indo-Chinese meal, and he drummed up excitement by saying I would be “pleasantly surprised.”
Now the other twist is that my buddy became a vegetarian years ago. He later moved on to becoming a full blown vegan. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Truthfully, I was hoping he wasn’t going to serve me up alfalfa sprouts, beans, and salad.
I was pleasantly surprised when he served up delicious dishes of noodles, rice, curried eggplant, and yes, General Tso’s cauliflower! He jokes that we’re obsessed with blogging, so I didn’t disappoint him when I said, “I’m going to blog that!”
I believe this dish is similar to the Indo-Chinese dish, Gobi Manchurian. We aren’t experts in the world of Indian Chinese food, but we will have to try it out when we come across Indo-Chinese restaurants!
I developed this version based on how I would make General Tso’s Chicken. My recipe differs from my friend’s since I decided not to blanch the cauliflower beforehand, and instead of shallow-frying, I went for the deep-fry.
We use cornstarch in the marinade to keep the cauliflower moist. Coating the florets in rice flour mixed with sesame seeds produces that crispy coating that everyone loves in General Tso’s Chicken!
It is a meatless meal to serve your vegetarian and vegan guests. And trust me, you won’t be disappointed either.
Here you go for all of you vegans and vegetarians who want to get in on the General Tso action. Enjoy this one!
Want a Quicker Route to a vegetarian general tso’s?
Try Kaitlin’s Shortcut Vegan General Tso’s Chicken, using vegan chicken nuggets or tenders. No batter or frying required.
General Tso’s Cauliflower: Recipe Instructions
Cut the cauliflower into 1- to 2-inch florets.
Mix the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, sesame oil, white pepper, water, and ¾ cup of rice flour in a large bowl until it forms a batter.
Toss in the cauliflower and fold together until the cauliflower is well-coated. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of rice flour over the cauliflower, and stir until everything is sticking to the cauliflower.
There should be no more batter at the bottom of the bowl. If there is, just add a little bit more rice flour. If the batter looks dry or crumbly add a teaspoon or two of water.
Next, sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds evenly over the cauliflower.
Heat the oil to 375°F/190°C in a cast iron pan or small pot. Fry the cauliflower in batches until light golden brown and crunchy (about 3 minutes), and transfer to a baking sheet (you can line it with paper towels if you like).
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the minced ginger, and let fry for 15 seconds. Add the garlic and dried red chili peppers. Stir for 10 seconds.
Add the Shaoxing wine, and immediately add the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, and water (or chicken stock). Turn the heat down to low, letting the entire mixture simmer.
Gluten-free?
You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by substituting GF soy sauce and using a dry cooking sherry instead of Shaoxing wine.
To make the cauliflower pieces extra crispy, re-fry the cauliflower in batches for about 20 seconds or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Add the cornstarch slurry gradually to the sauce while stirring constantly, and let simmer for 20 seconds. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon.
Add the cauliflower and scallions. Toss the entire mixture to coat everything in the sauce.
Serve your General Tso’s cauliflower with lots of rice!
Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!
Recipe
General Tso’s Cauliflower
Ingredients
For the cauliflower:
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup rice flour
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 to 3 cups peanut or canola oil (for frying)
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons ginger (finely minced)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 5 whole dried red chili peppers (optional)
- ½ tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1½ tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup water (or stock)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
- 1 scallion (cut at an angle into half-inch pieces)
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into 1- to 2-inch (3-5cm) chunks. Mix the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, sesame oil, white pepper, water, and three quarters of the rice flour in a large bowl until it forms a batter.
- Toss the cauliflower into the batter, and fold together until the cauliflower is well-coated. Sprinkle the remaining rice flour over the cauliflower, and stir until everything is sticking to it. There should be no more batter at the bottom of the bowl. If there is, just add a little bit more rice flour. If the batter looks dry or crumbly, add a teaspoon or two of water. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds evenly over the cauliflower.
- Heat the oil to 375°F/190°C in a cast iron pan or small pot. Fry the cauliflower in batches until light golden brown and crunchy (about 3 minutes), and transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the minced ginger, and fry for 15 seconds. Add the garlic and dried red pepper. Stir for 10 seconds. Add the Shaoxing wine, and immediately add the sesame oil, light soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and water (or stock). Turn the heat down to low, letting the entire mixture simmer.
- To make the cauliflower extra crispy, fry it for a second time in batches for about 20 seconds or until golden brown, and drain on paper towels. Add the cornstarch slurry gradually to the sauce while stirring constantly, and simmer for 20 seconds. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Add the cauliflower and scallions, and toss the entire mixture until everything is well-coated in the sauce. Serve!
