Published: · Modified: by Manju · This post may contain affiliate links · 21 Comments
Better than take out General Tso's Cauliflower
5 from 5 votes
Prep 10 minutes mins
Cook 20 minutes mins
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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!
Quick and Easy "Better than Take Out" General Tso's Cauliflower! #vegan #glutenfree
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📖 Recipe
General Tso's Cauliflower
Manju
Better than take out General Tso's Cauliflower
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Course Vegetable Sides
Cuisine Asian
Servings 2
Calories 591 kcal
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 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 ½ tablespoon crushed red chillies
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon shaohsing wine / shaoxing wine / Chinese cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce gluten free
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon organic ketchup
- ¼ cup chopped scallion for garnish
Don't forget to check out Step-by-step instructions with photos in the body of the post above
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
Calories: 591kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 2gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 29gSodium: 441mgPotassium: 345mgFiber: 3gSugar: 31gVitamin A: 1990IUVitamin C: 17.8mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 1.7mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
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!
Reply
Manju says
Thank you Gigi. I updated that and updated an alternative Shaoxing wine too. Thanks for pointing that out! 🙂
Reply
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 ?
Reply
Andreas Sharec says
emm Yummy... I think this weekend, my mom have to try to cook it for me! 😀 Thank you Mrs. Shinta
Reply
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?
Reply
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.
Reply
Manju says
I haven't tried it though, so let me know how that works out for you ?
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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!Reply
Manju says
Thank you so very much!!! So glad you loved it ??❤️
Reply
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!Reply
Manju says
Thank you very much for letting me know, Ashley! Glad you loved it! ?❤️
Reply
Marie Harrison says
Any suggestions other than frying?
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Linda says
Could this be baked? Thanks!
Reply
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.
Reply
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.Reply
Manju says
Thank you! So glad you loved it! ❤️
Reply
Terri says
This was sooo very good. Even as leftovers the next day. I also served with rice noodles. Shared with my daughter.Reply
Manju says
Thank you Terri. So glad you loved it!
Reply
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.Reply
Manju says
Thank you Wendy! So glad you and your family loved it 🙂
Reply
