Crispy cauliflower in a sweet chili sauce is the best way to describe this sticky sweet and addictive General Tso’s Cauliflower and I wont be wrong if I say that this is better than take out!Its Vegan and Gluten Free too!
The current new favorite of everyone, the new found super veggie that has replaced Kale from it spotlight – yes, it is Cauliflower. Super veggie or not, this vegetable has been a favorite in our household always. Whether I toss it with the very versatile potatoes and perfumed with spices to make the delicious Aloo Gobhi or just roast with with any favorite combo of herbs or spices or allow it to share its spotlight with other veggies all swimming in a lightly spiced coconut sauce – a vegetable Kurma, we love it in all forms!
But the star dish that was made with cauliflower was Gobi Manchurian – the famously favorite preparation of batter fried cauliflower tossed in a spicy garlicky sauce, a dish that signifies all that Indo-Chinese cuisine stands for!
This General Tso’s Cauliflower was a happy accident. I planned to make Gobi Manchurian but kinda changed it at the last minute to this, as I had some left over sweet chili sauce from the previous day and I didn’t need that much sweetness for the Manchurian. I also did not want to make a very batter-y coating for the fried cauliflower, so I just tossed it with a little corn flour, salt and pepper and deep fried it twice. Deep frying it twice – frying once, draining and then frying it again to make it extra crispy and for it maintain that crispiness even when doused in the sauce.
I didn’t feel the need to add the flour to coat the cauliflower and it worked just fine, making it a little lighter too. This recipe is Vegan and Gluten Free too.
Here are some of our other favorite Gluten Free and Vegan recipes!
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General Tso's Cauliflower
Ingredients
- ½ head organic cauliflower rinsed and cut into florets
- ⅓ cup organic corn flour / corn starch
- salt to taste
- crushed black pepper to taste
- 3 cups or enough sunflower / coconut oil for deep frying
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 ½ tbsp crushed red chillies
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp shaohsing wine / shaoxing wine / Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tsp soy sauce gluten free
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp organic ketchup
- ¼ cup chopped scallion for garnish
Instructions
- Toss the cauliflower with the corn flour, salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a deep wok / pan and fry the cauliflower in a couple of batches, till crispy. Drain and keep aside. Fry the already fried cauliflower another time and drain again on paper towels.
- In another deep pan or a wok, heat the grapeseed oil and add the garlic to it. Once the garlic starts browning a little, add the ginger, red chillies, brown sugar, shaohsing wine, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and ketchup. Whisk away till they all mix well together and the sugar melts. It should become a sticky, glazed sauce. Check for salt and add more if needed.
- Toss the fried cauliflower in this while on low heat. Switch off heat, garnish with scallions and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Gigi says
Soy sauce is not gluten-free. You might note that a gluten-free soy sauce should be used or a gluten and soy free product like coconut aminos could also be used here. Love recipe and pic!
Manju says
Thank you Gigi. I updated that and updated an alternative Shaoxing wine too. Thanks for pointing that out! 🙂
Shinta says
This is very tempting Manju,never tried this before, guessing its a sweeter version of Gobhi Manchurian? Right up my alley!
Manju says
Thank you Shinta. Yes, this is a sweeter version of Gobbi Manchurian! We all love it here ?
Andreas Sharec says
emm Yummy… I think this weekend, my mom have to try to cook it for me! 😀 Thank you Mrs. Shinta
Lynn says
Could I use a different flour? I have lots of almond flour and coconut flour…Could one of these be instead of corn flour?
Manju says
Maybe not coconut flour, it could mess up the texture. I am not sure of almond flour. I would go for a mix of rice flour and almond flour, if need be.
Manju says
I haven’t tried it though, so let me know how that works out for you ?
Susan says
This was absolutely delicious!! I didn’t have corn flour so I used half arrowroot starch half tapioca flour and I didn’t have ketchup so I used sriracha. I also didn’t have the shaoshing wine so I skipped it. The flavor was so good and the cauliflower was perfect! Highly recommend. Thanks for a great recipe!
Manju says
Thank you so very much!!! So glad you loved it ??❤️
Ashley Schwengler says
I made this, and it was amazing! I will be adding this to the list of dishes to make for my family!
Manju says
Thank you very much for letting me know, Ashley! Glad you loved it! ?❤️
Marie Harrison says
Any suggestions other than frying?
Linda says
Could this be baked? Thanks!
Manju says
You could, but I wonder if it would get crispy. Spray oil over it and bake at 350f for about 20-30 mins, checking every now and then and turning over once. Let me know if that works. I personally haven’t tried baking it for this recipe.
Aleshia Kramer says
Wow! This is a must try even if you aren’t vegan or gluten free! It was crispy perfection. I put it over rice noodles which I also lightly tossed in the leftover sauce.
Manju says
Thank you! So glad you loved it! ❤️
Terri says
This was sooo very good. Even as leftovers the next day. I also served with rice noodles. Shared with my daughter.
Manju says
Thank you Terri. So glad you loved it!
Wendy says
I would give this 6 stars if I could. Hubby was so pleased. I did cut the sugar and red pepper slightly and doubled the recipe.
Manju says
Thank you Wendy! So glad you and your family loved it 🙂