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An easy orange cauliflower recipe that creates crunchy crispy cauliflower bites without deep-frying, and a tangy orange sauce that is delightfully fragrant. It is a takeout style dish that you can put together quickly in your kitchen and it’s so satisfying to eat. {Vegan, Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Orange Cauliflower

5 from 4 votes
An easy orange cauliflower recipe that creates crunchy crispy cauliflower bites without deep-frying, and a tangy orange sauce that is delightfully fragrant. It is a takeout style dish that you can put together quickly in your kitchen and it’s so satisfying to eat. {Vegan, Gluten-Free Adaptable}
To make this dish gluten free, use tamari to replace soy sauce, and use dry sherry to replace Shaoxing wine.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: takeout
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

Cauliflower

  • 1 small head (up to 2 lbs, or 900 g) cauliflower , cut into 1” (2.5 cm) florets
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons almond milk (or other plant-based milk) (Footnote 1)
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1/2 cup (65 g) cornstarch

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed mandarin orange juice (*Footnote 2)
  • 1 tablespoon mandarin orange peel , thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Stir fry

  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 3 green onions , sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced

Instructions

  • Place the cauliflower in a large bowl and sprinkle with the table salt. Gently mix a few times. Let stand for 15 to 20 minutes to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the orange peel, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, wine, sugar, 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch, and fine sea salt for the sauce. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.
  • Right before cooking, use paper towels to dry off any excess moisture from the cauliflower. Add the almond milk and vegetable oil to the cauliflower and mix a few times. Add the 1/2 cup cornstarch and stir gently until all the cauliflower is coated with a thin layer of starch.
  • In a large skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add the cauliflower pieces, one at a time, without overlapping; you may need to cook in two batches. Let cook undisturbed until the bottoms turn golden, 2 minutes or so. Flip over and cook the other sides until golden, reducing the heat to medium or medium-low if the oil starts to splatter. Transfer the cauliflower to a large plate and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes to crisp up the crust.
  • There should be 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil left in the pan; if there is more, wipe off the excess oil with a few layers of paper towels. Turn the heat to medium and add the white parts of the scallions and the garlic to the pan, stirring a few times until fragrant. Stir the sauce again to make sure the cornstarch is dissolved, then pour it into the pan. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens. Add the cauliflower back into the pan and stir to coat with the sauce.
  • Transfer the contents of the pan to a large plate, top with the green parts of the scallions, and serve hot.

Notes

  1. You can substitute the almond milk with a different type of plant-based milk, but I suggest staying away from the more watery types, such as natural oat milk.
  2. You can use other types of orange as well, if you prefer. Bottled orange juice works too.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 306kcal, Carbohydrates: 29.8g, Protein: 2.2g, Fat: 19.9g, Saturated Fat: 4.7g, Sodium: 430mg, Potassium: 301mg, Fiber: 2.4g, Sugar: 10.5g, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg