Cauliflower with General Tso's Sauce

If one goes to the Chinese buffets, one of the most popular dishes is General Tso's Chicken.  You can see this irresistible dish in almost all the overfilled plates. I have posted a Slow Cooker Healthier General Tso's Chicken recipe in this blog in the past.  I love its sweet and spicy taste and with that unmistakable kick in it that sets it apart from other sweet-spicy Chinese food.  Now that I am plant based I am still alive with all my cravings intact.  I decided to satisfy this yearning for this iconic Chinese dish by using cauliflower.  It is a hardy vegetable that I envisioned to be able to withstand being cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce and still retain its crunch.  I could have used tofu as this online website, the Minimalist Baker, has done but I just tofu-ed out for the week.  If this is eaten with quinoa instead of brown rice the protein requirement for the day can be met.

I used a tangy sweet spicy sauce in my Slow Cooker Healthier General Tso's Chicken with orange marmalade and juice in it.  It was really good but I wanted to try another recipe.  In this recipe, I based it on the one in the Minimalist Baker.  I did tweak it including adding chili garlic sauce.

Daphne Oz from the TV show The Chew has a recipe for General Tso's Cauliflower where she dredges first the cauliflower in rice flour cornstarch mixture with egg whites.  I did not have the motivation to go through that dredging step plus I want to stick to the plant based approach that refrains from using eggs.  So I decided to just cook the cauliflower florets with the sauce in the pan.  It is an easier procedure that even a burned out cook with no energy at the end of the day will be motivated to do.

I was really impressed that the cauliflower held its crunch as I envisioned and the sauce went really well with the florets.  The consistency of the sauce is left for the cook to decide.  I prefer mine thinner so I can scoop it with the florets and pour it in my rice or quinoa.  If it is to be served as an appetizer a thicker consistency will be the preferred so the florets are coated with the sauce as people pick them up.  It is a flexible and very easy recipe as you can see and so like the real thing, baby.  You can use it as a main dish, side dish or even as an appetizer.  Yes, yes.  I had it for breakfast today, the indicator it is addictive and haunting.

Cauliflower with General Tso's Sauce

Adapted from the Minimalist Baker  

                    

4 Servings

• 1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 -1 tsp chili garlic sauce 
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water

Mix all the ingredients except the cauliflower florets right in the saute pan.  Let it boil and then add the cauliflower florets.  Continue to boil gently the cauliflower in the sauce until it is cooked but still has that crunch.  You can boil off as much of the liquid as you want until you get the consistency of the sauce you want.  Do not overcook the cauliflower, however.  Serve topped with sliced green onions and over rice or quinoa.  Enjoy.  So good.