Orange Cauliflower

5 from 6 votes

Orange cauliflower is a vegetarian version of the popular Chinese dish orange chicken. The best part of this vegan cauliflower appetiser is that the battered florets are not deep-fried, they are rather baked to make it a healthy dish.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 250kcal

Author: Geetha

Ingredients

1 cup = 250ml ; 1 Tablespoon = 15ml ; 1 Teaspoon = 5ml

For baked cauliflower

405 gms (or) 3 cups (or) 1 head Cauliflower cut into bite-size florets
90 gms (or) ½ cup Plain flour/ All purpose flour
30 gms (or) 3 Tablesppons Corn Flour/Corn Starch
1 Teaspoon Paprika
Salt as required
Water as required to make a batter

For orange sauce

2 Teaspoon Olive Oil
½ inch (or) ½ Teaspoon Ginger finely chopped
2 cloves (or) 1 teaspoon Garlic finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Chilli Sauce/Hot Sauce
1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
½ Teaspoon Vinegar
1 cup Orange Juice
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoons Corn Flour/Corn Starch
Spring Onion handful
⅓ cup Water add more if required

Instructions

For baked cauliflower

Wash and cut the cauliflower into bite-size florets.
405 gms (or) 3 cups (or) 1 head Cauliflower
Put the florets in a deep bottomed container, pour boiling water over the florets until they are submerged and close the container with a lid/plate. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
405 gms (or) 3 cups (or) 1 head Cauliflower
Drain the water and leave the florets in the colander to remove any excess water.
Transfer the florets onto a kitchen towel to remove any excess water.
Preheat the oven to 200C (395F)
Meanwhile, combine the plain flour, cornflour (corn starch), salt and paprika in a large bowl.
90 gms (or) ½ cup Plain flour/ All purpose flour, 30 gms (or) 3 Tablesppons Corn Flour/Corn Starch, Salt, 1 Teaspoon Paprika
Add water gradually and whisk to make a batter.
Water
Dip the florets in the batter and coat well.
405 gms (or) 3 cups (or) 1 head Cauliflower
Arrange the florets in a lined baking tray with little spacing between florets
Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the florets are crispy turning them half way through to ensure even baking.
Take the tray out of the oven and put it on the cooling rack.

To make an orange sauce

Combine the orange juice, soy sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce and sesame oil in a bowl.
1 Tablespoon Chilli Sauce/Hot Sauce, 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce, ½ Teaspoon Vinegar, 1 cup Orange Juice, 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
To make cornflour slurry, combine cornflour and water in a small bowl. Keep it aside.
1 Teaspoons Corn Flour/Corn Starch, ⅓ cup Water
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
2 Teaspoon Olive Oil
Once the oil is hot, sauté the garlic and ginger for a few seconds until fragrant.
½ inch (or) ½ Teaspoon Ginger, 2 cloves (or) 1 teaspoon Garlic
Now slightly reduce the heat, add the orange juice mixture, brown sugar, cornflour slurry and stir well.
2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar
Simmer it for 5 minutes until the sauce bubbles, slightly thicken and become sticky.
Add the baked florets and toss well until they are well coated with orange sauce.
Finally, mix in spring onion.
Enjoy the delicious orange cauliflower on its own or with rice.

Video

Notes

Use freshly squeezed orange juice as the store-bought juice may contain unnecessary preservatives and artificial sweeteners. Moreover, fresh orange juice imparts amazing flavour and taste.

Soaking cauliflower florets in boiling water helps to remove any stubborn dirt and reduce the baking time.

I haven't added salt in either orange sauce as the soy sauce has added salt and so has the baked cauliflower. However, be mindful if you consider adding salt in an orange sauce.

Prepare the orange sauce while cauliflower is baking. The sauce takes less than 10 minutes to make so start making it when cauliflower is halfway through baking.

Keep an eye on the florets while baking as the baking time may vary with different ovens.

Use just enough sauce to coat the baked cauliflower. Put the remaining sauce in a bowl so anyone who chooses to have extra sauce can use it. Alternatively, store it in an airtight container in the fridge to use for the next batch of orange cauliflower if you plan to cook in a couple of days.

Sesame oil infuses a rich nutty flavour and elevates the authentic Asian flavours of the dish.

Nutrition