April 15, 2022
General Tso’s Cauliflower
This General Tso’s Cauliflower is a vegan twist on a classic favorite – the perfect combination of savory, sweet, and spicy! Serve over rice for the ultimate takeout meal without ever having to leave your own home!
General Tso’s Cauliflower
This General Tso’s Cauliflower is a veganized version of the insanely popular Chinese-American takeout dish. Just like its original counterpart, it’s battered and fried to crispy perfection, then tossed in the most delicious sweet ‘n savory (and slightly spicy) sauce! The best part? No chickens were harmed in the making of this.
Grab a drink and let’s get to making the best vegan General Tso’s Cauliflower!
what is general tso’s chicken?
While it’s said this dish is named after the highly-respected military leader, Zuo Zongtang (also romanized Tso Tsung-t’ang), the origins of this dish are quite vague and remain debatable.
Some say the dish is derived from a Hunan chicken dish and that the reference to “Zongtang” was not a reference to Zuo Zongtang’s given name, but rather a reference to the homonym “zongtang“, meaning “ancestral meeting hall”.
Others argue that the recipe was invented by Taiwan-based Hunan cuisine chef Peng Chang-kuei, who apprenticed under leading Chinese chef, Cao Jingchen.
And Shun Lee’s Palaces in New York City claims that it was the first restaurant to serve General Tso’s chicken, invented by a Chinese immigrant chef named T. T. Wang in 1972. Michael Tong, owner of New York’s Shun Lee Palaces, says “We opened the first Hunanese restaurant in the whole country, and the four dishes we offered you will see on the menu of practically every Hunanese restaurant in America today. They all copied from us.”
Last, there are some that believe both versions are a melded adaptation of what is sold at most Chinese restaurants today. You can read more about the brief history of General Tso’s Chicken in this article by Danny Lewis.
Even though we don’t quite know the exact origins of this delicious dish, it remains one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes in America, and it’s easy to see why – it’s savory, crispy, sticky, spicy goodness!
what goes in general tso’s cauliflower (and substitutions)
There are two main components of this dish:
1. Crispy Cauliflower:
- Cornstarch: you can sub equal portions rice flour, arrowroot powder, potato starch, or tapioca starch
- All-purpose flour: for a gluten-free alternative, you can sub chickpea flour (aka garbanzo bean flour) or almond flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Soda water: cold tao water works, too!
- Cauliflower
- Oil, for frying: make sure it’s a neutral frying oil, such as vegetable or canola
2. Sauce:
- Oil: I like to use a neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola
- Thai chilies: I like to use fresh but dried works, too!
- Scallions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Vegan chick’n broth: Vegan chick’n broth typically comes in a cube bouillon form, powder, and as a base, which has a paste like texture. One of the brands I purchase is Better Than Bouillon, which you can find at many health foods stores such as Whole Foods and Sprouts, in the same aisle as the broths. Another brand I love are the Edward & Sons cubes, which I find are more readily available in larger supermarkets as well as health food stores. You can also find artificial beef broth powder at most Asian markets. To make a broth, simply mix the bouillon with water according to directions. If you’re unable to find vegan chick’n broth, you can sub for vegetable broth.
- Coconut sugar: sub brown sugar or maple syrup
- Shaoxing wine: sub for dry sherry or mirin
- Low sodium soy sauce
- Cornstarch: you can sub equal portions rice flour, arrowroot powder, potato starch, or tapioca starch
- Red chili flakes, optional
- Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
how to make general tso’s cauliflower
Now that you know what goes in General Tso’s Cauliflower, it’s time to make it! Here’s how:
1. Batter:
Whisk cornstarch, flour, baking soda, salt, soda water in a large bowl until a thick batter forms Toss in the cauliflower and gently mix until the cauliflower is well coated. Sprinkle the remaining cornstarch over the cauliflower and continue to mix gently until the batter is sticking nicely to the cauliflower.
2. Fry:
Heat oil in a deep sauté pan over medium high heat. Carefully place the coated cauliflower into the hot oil and fry until golden and crispy. Transfer the fried cauliflower to a baking tray lined with paper towels or a wire rack.
3. Sauce:
heat a tablespoon of oil in a large wok or sauté pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chilies and the green onion and stir fry for 1 minute. Next, add the garlic and ginger, and stir fry another 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the broth, sugar, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, cornstarch slurry, and red chili flakes, mixing to combine. Bring the sauce to a light boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and reduces a bit.
4. Toss:
Once the sauce has slightly reduced and is thick enough to coat a spoon, add the fried cauliflower and toss gently until each piece is well coated in the sauce.
5. Serve and Enjoy!
Serve immediately and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onion. Enjoy!
Can I air-fry General Tso’s Cauliflower?
Unfortunately since this is a wet batter, you cannot air-fry or bake my version of General Tso’s cauliflower.
will the general tso’s cauliflower get soggy after I toss it in the sauce?
In my opinion, any food that’s fried using this wet batter method will never be as crispy as a dry batter. That being said, if you want to extend the crispiness of the cauliflower, you can keep the sauce and crispy cauliflower separate, and simply toss the amount of cauliflower in sauce that you plan to eat in one serving.
more takeout-inspired recipes to try at home
- Thai Basil Tofu with Curry Roasted Cashews
- Vegan Crab Rangoon
- Crispy Ginger ‘Beef’ Ramen Noodles
- Orange Glazed Meatballs with Crispy Garlic Fried Rice
- Garlic Peppered Cauliflower
general tso’s cauliflower: the perfect takeout dish to make at home!
I hope ya’ll love this recipe as much as I do! If you give it a try, I want to know! Snap a photo or video and show me your best take-in plates by tagging me on Instagram or TikTok at @eat_figs_not_pigs and #EatFigsNotPigs. I love seeing all your recreations of my recipes! Until next time, friends!
General Tso's Cauliflower
Ingredients
For the Cauliflower:
- • ¾ cup cornstarch divided
- • ½ cup all-purpose flour
- • 1 teaspoon baking soda
- • 1 teaspoon salt
- • ½ - 1 cup soda water
- • 1 small head cauliflower cut into small florets
- • 2-4 cups canola or vegetable oil for frying
For the Sauce & Garnishes:
- • 1 tablespoon oil
- • 6 – 8 fresh Thai chilies
- • 1 bunch of scallions white and light green parts only, cut into 1 ½ - inch pieces (thinly slice the dark green part of the green onion at a bias and reserve for garnish)
- • 12 cloves garlic finely minced
- • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- • 1 cup vegan chick’n broth *see recipe notes
- • 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine *see recipe notes
- • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes optional
- • Toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk ½ cup cornstarch, flour, baking soda, salt, and ½ cup of the soda water in a large bowl until a thick batter forms and there are no clumps. You want the batter just a bit thinner than pancake batter. If it seems too thick, add in more soda water 1 tablespoon at a time. Toss in the cauliflower and gently mix until the cauliflower is well coated. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of cornstarch over the cauliflower and continue to mix gently until the batter is sticking nicely to the cauliflower.
- Heat 2 cups of oil in a deep sauté pan over medium high heat; the oil should be about 3 inches deep; add more if needed. You’ll know the oil is hot when you sprinkle in a pinch of flour, and it begins to sizzle immediately. Using tongs to tap of any excess batter, carefully place the coated cauliflower into the hot oil and fry until golden and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the fried cauliflower to a baking tray lined with paper towels or a wire rack. Note: I like to double-fry my cauliflower, so at this point, I’d keep the oil in the pan and turn the heat back on just as the sauce starts to simmer in the next step.
- To prepare the sauce, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large wok or sauté pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the Thai chilies and the white and light green parts of the green onion and stir fry for 1 minute. Next, add the garlic and ginger, and stir fry another 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the broth, sugar, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, cornstarch slurry, and red chili flakes, mixing to combine. Bring the sauce to a light boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and reduces a bit, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Optional: At this point, while the sauce is simmering, you can do a double-fry on the cauliflower. To do so, heat the oil over medium heat. Once it’s hot, working in batches, add the fried cauliflower pieces back into the oil and fry until crispy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Place the double-fried cauliflower back onto a paper-towel lined plate or wire rack and continue to with the remaining cauliflower.
- Once the sauce has slightly reduced and is thick enough to coat a spoon, add the fried cauliflower and toss gently until each piece is well coated in the sauce. Serve immediately and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onion. Enjoy!
Notes
2. I can find Shaoxing wine at most Asian markets, and some specialty stores such as Whole Foods. If you’re unable to access Shaoxing wine, you can sub dry sherry or Mirin.
