Vegan sweet and sour cauliflower

I made this sweet and sour cauliflower as a vegan alternative to sweet and sour chicken. I actually like it a lot better this way. The battered cauliflower is firm and meaty enough to give a satisfying mouthfeel and kind of juicy because of the moisture in the vegetable. If you use a fresh cauliflower, the taste is also quite neutral and not at all cabbagey.

To create a firm, crispy layer on the cauliflower, you need to deep-fry the cauliflower florets twice. The first fry to soften the cauliflower and the second fry to crisp up the batter. The same reason why you double fry potatoes.

Plum sauce

You can buy almost all of the ingredients in the supermarket. However you might need to go to an Asian grocery store to find the plum sauce. Plum sauce is a sweet and slightly sour sauce with a hint of chili. It is sometimes served with Peking duck alongside the bean sauce. My favourite plum sauce is Mee Chun‘s . It has a sweet and fruity flavour with a subtle hint of chilli. If you can’t find plum sauce, you can replace it with apricot jam with a pinch of chili flakes. Although I do recommend you give the original plum sauce a try.

Can you make Chinese sweet and sour cauliflower ahead of time?

You could make the entire dish ahead of time, but it definitely will soften the batter around the cauliflower. While leftovers are still very satisfying to get the best out of the dish it’s best made fresh. However, you can make parts ahead of time which saves up some time before serving. I’ll explain the cooking process and tell you how to best cook in advance.

Necessary materials

• Kitchen scales
• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife
• Bowls
• Heavy pan for frying
• Fine mesh skimmer
• Wok or deep skillet
• Tray covered with paper towel

Frying cauliflower

Clean the cauliflower and cut into small florets. Mix the batter ingredients together.

Heat a heavy pan with flavourless oil and use a wooden skewer to check the temperature. The oil is hot enough when bubbles start forming around the skewer. If the bubbles move very fast, the oil is too hot. Lower the temperature and wait for the oil to cool down a bit.

Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter one at a time, drain excess and lower it carefully into the oil. Fry the cauliflower in small batches until golden brown and drain on paper towel.

Use your skimmer to clean the oil of little batter debris. It keeps your oil fresh and gives a better result.

Let the oil come to temperature again and fry the cauliflower a second time in larger batches and drain on clean paper towel.

Never let anything drop into the hot oil from a great height, otherwise it will splash. I prefer to use chopsticks, so my hands stay clean and free to grab other things. Use thin tongs if you can’t hold the cauliflower well with chopsticks. You don’t want to accidentally drop the cauliflower into the oil from a great distance.

Sweet-sour sauce

This sauce is the same as my original sweet and sour chicken . Heat a wok or large frying pan with a few tablespoons of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the bell pepper and onion. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl, pour over the vegetables and heat through. Make sure the vegetables don’t go too soft. Taste the sauce and add more sugar or vinegar if desired. Add the dissolved cornstarch and let the sauce thicken. Add the fried cauliflower and coat with the sauce. Serve immediately with rice.

Make ahead

You can make the sauce well in advance. I would save the frying of the cauliflower for the same day you wish to eat it.

Fry the cauliflower only once and let it cool at room temperature. Continue making the sauce without adding the dissolved cornstarch. Keep the bell pepper and onion on the firm side, because you will reheat the sauce later. Store at room temperature or let cool and store in the refrigerator.

To finish the dish, fry the cauliflower a second time. Reheat the sauce in a large pan and add extra water if needed. Finish with the dissolved cornstarch and wait until the sauce has thickened. Mix the fried cauliflower with the sauce and serve with rice.

Vegan sweet and sour cauliflower

Serves: 3 Prep Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 30 min 30 min

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

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Ingredients

Fried Cauliflower

• 450-500g cauliflower, in bitesize florets
• 75g flour
• 80g cornstarch
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 165g water
• Flavourless oil for deep frying

Sweet and sour sauce

• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp Chinese plum sauce
• 4 tbsp white vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 3½ tbs water
• 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water
• ½ red bell pepper, in bitesize pieces
• ½ yellow or green bell pepper, in bitesize pieces
• ½ onion, in bitesize pieces
• Flavourless oil for frying

Instructions

Frying cauliflower

Clean the cauliflower and cut into small florets (1-2 bites in size). Mix 75 grams of flour , 80 grams of cornstarch ,  ½ teaspoon of baking soda and 165 grams of water together in a bowl. 

Cover a tray with 2 layers of paper towel.

Warm a heavy pot over medium-high heat with a layer of flavourless oil about 2inches/5cm high to about 350°F/175°C . Check the temperature of the oil by inserting a wooden skewer. Bubbles will start to form around the skewer. If the bubbles go too fast, the oil is too hot. Lower the heat and wait for the oil to cool.

Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter one at a time, drain excess batter and lower carefully into the oil. Try to keep the florets separated when putting them in the oil. Turn them over occasionally. Fry the cauliflower in small batches until golden brown in about 5-7 minutes and drain on paper towel.

Use a fine mesh skimmer to remove small loose pieces of batter from the oil. It keeps your oil fresh and gives a better result.

Let the oil come up to temperature again. Fry the cauliflower a second time for about 3 minutes , until they are a slightly darker golden color and crispy. This can be done in larger portions at a time. Drain on clean paper towel.

Sweet and sour sauce

Mix 2 tablespoons of ketchup , 2 tablespoons of plum sauce , 4 tablespoons of white vinegar , 3½ tablespoons of water and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl.

Place a wok or large frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute 2 teaspoons of ginger and 3 cloves of garlic until fragrant. Add the bell pepper and onion and stir-fry for 3 minutes .

Stir the sauce and add to the vegetables, let it heat through for a couple of minutes. Make sure the vegetables don't soften too much. Taste the sauce and add extra vinegar or sugar if desired. Add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons of water and let the sauce thicken while stirring. Finally add the fried cauliflower, mix to coat every piece with the sauce and serve immediately.

Notes

You can find Chinese plum sauce at the Asian grocery store or substitute with apricot jam and a pinch of chili flakes.

Never let anything drop into the hot oil from a great height, otherwise it will splash. I prefer to use chopsticks, so my hands stay clean and free to grab other things. Use thin tongs if you can't hold the cauliflower well with chopsticks. You don't want to accidentally drop the cauliflower into the oil from a great distance.

If you would like more sauce with the dish, you can easily double the ingredients for the sauce.

If you like to add pineapple to this dish, you can add it when pouring in the sauce with the vegetables.

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