Crispy Sweet And Sour Cauliflower
Crispy battered cauliflower drizzled with a wonderfully tart and sticky sauce. This recipe is truly delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 Large Head Cauliflower chopped into even 1-inch florets
- Vegetable oil for frying
Cornflour Slurry
- 1 Cup Cornflour around 100g
- 1 Cup Plain Flour around 120g
- 1 1/2 Cups Water 260ml
Cornflour Batter
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Cup Cornflour around 50g
- 1/2 Cup Plain Flour around 60g
- 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
Sweet And Sour Sauce
- 4 Cloves Garlic finely diced
- 1 Medium Green Chilli finely diced
- 2 Large Oranges juiced
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Cornflour
- 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Instructions
Sweet And Sour Sauce
- In a mixing bowl mix together the juice from the 2 large oranges, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
- Place the 1 teaspoon of cornflour into a small bowl and pour in about a teaspoon of the sweet and sour liquid. Mix into a smooth paste using a fork or spoon. Then add a further teaspoon and mix again. Then pour the mixture into the mixing bowl with the rest of the sauce ingredients and combine well.
- Heat the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Toss in the 4 chopped garlic cloves and diced chilli, fry for a couple of minutes until the chilli has softened.
- Pour in the sweet and sour sauce mixture and stir well to combine. Bring the sauce to a rolling boil and heat until the cornflour begins to make the sauce nice and thick. Remove the pan from the heat and reserve until needed.
Crispy Battered Cauliflower
- In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the cornflour slurry until thick and gloopy.
- Prepare the cornflour batter in a larger mixing bowl. Combine the 1/2 cup cornflour, 1/2 cup plain flour and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Once evenly combined add in the tablespoon of soy sauce, tablespoon rice wine vinegar and a tablespoon of the sweet and sour sauce. Sift the batter with your hands trying to form as many clumps in the batter as possible. The more breadcrumb sized pieces the better.
- Take a cauliflower floret and dunk into the cornflour slurry. Coat the piece entirely before removing and placing into the cornflour batter. Cover the cauliflower floret in the flour mixture until completely coated. Remove and place the battered cauliflower floret onto a clean baking tray. Repeat this process until all of your cauliflower pieces are coated.
- Heat a large saute pan or saucepan over a medium high heat. Pour in enough vegetable oil to coat about 1/2 of the thickness of an individual cauliflower floret. Toss a small chunk of discarded battered cauliflower into the oil and wait for it to start violently spit and bubble. This is when your oil is hot enough to begin frying.
- Working in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan with too much cauliflower, begin to fry the battered florets. Place the florets into the hot oil and fry for 4 minutes before turning and frying for a further 4 minutes. Whilst cooking occasionally flick oil over the top of the florets to baste them in the hot oil. After frying they should be a lovely shade of golden brown. Remove the florets and reserve placing on a wire rack, season generously. Continue this process until all the cauliflower is done.
- Once all the pieces of cauliflower have fried return the pan with the sweet and sour sauce back to the heat. Heat through until the sauce is nice and hot again. Toss in the cauliflower and coat well in the sauce.
- Serve the cauliflower immediately with fried rice or thick noodles.
Nutrition
Calories: 694kcal | Carbohydrates: 110g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Sodium: 1140mg | Potassium: 895mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 207IU | Vitamin C: 152mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 4mg