I’m just going to come right out and say it – This Vegetarian Orange Chicken Cauliflower is on the top of my list for all time favorite recipes.
By no means am I becoming a vegetarian, I love meat way too much for that. But every once in a while I like to participate in those “Meatless Mondays” that everyone’s always talkin’ about. Plus saving a few calories is never a bad thing either…
The trick with this Orange Cauliflower is that it actually tastes like the legit Orange Chicken from Panda Express or any other fancy Chinese take-out.
The cauliflower is lightly battered and then wok-fried to give it that slightly crisp outer coating with tender crisp insides.
The sauce… oh mama…
The sauce is beautifully fragranced with orange zest and given just a hint spice to compliment, but not over power, the sticky sweetness.
If you love the taste of Orange Chicken, you’re going to love this. If you close your eyes when you take a bite into the perfectly cooked cauliflower it will almost seem like you’re eating chicken.
I love the power of cauliflower!
Did you know that cauliflower is supposed to be a “trending ingredient” for 2014? You’ll probably see a lot of it this year, and this is a great way to try it out in a whole new way!
If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go marry a head of cauliflower and have cauliflower babies.
This is getting awkward isn’t it? I’ll stop now.
But seriously, this Vegetarian Orange Chicken Cauliflower was a major hit with my family and I know you and your family will love it too!
Vegetarian Orange Chicken Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 to 3 tbsp canola oil
For the Sauce:
Garnish
- 2 tbsp sliced green onions
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the sesame oil, egg, 3 tbsp soy sauce and corn starch until a thin batter forms. Toss in the cauliflower and let sit while you make the sauce, tossing every few minutes to coat all pieces.
- In a small bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce except the broth and corn starch. Combine the broth an corn starch in a separate small bowl and whisk till no more clumps. Combine with the other sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Heat a large wok over medium high heat, add 2 tbsp of canola oil and begin to fry the cauliflower on all sides, in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan (approximately 1-2 minutes per side). Once all the cauliflower is all cooked remove any excess oil from pan and wipe clean.
- Return pan to heat and add 1 tsp of oil. Add the ginger and garlic to pan and stir, cooking for 30 seconds, until very fragrant. Pour in the sauce and stir constantly until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and gently toss in the cauliflower, turning to coat evenly. Garnish with green onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Mini Beef and Potato Nugget Casseroles
Adrienne
I have made this four times already and my vegetarian friends love it and my meat eaters love it and even the guys asked for seconds. No one will miss the meat in this dish. The orange zest and the ginger add great flavor. I serve it with coconut rice and it complements the orange chicken/cauliflower very well. To make the coconut rice use 1 1/4 cup of Jasmine rice,3/4 cup of water, 1 can of Polar Coconut milk and 1/2 tsp of salt. Boil, cover and simmer on low for 25 mins. Enjoy!!
Max
Looks yummy! I would give it a try but I think it is ridiculous to call cauliflower chicken. I love cauliflower and I love chicken and I would never need my cauliflower to taste like chicken nor would I think any vegetarians would care either. Silly name for a tasty dish. Smh.
Shawn
It’s just a name. What’s more important is the taste, and this dish tastes phenomenal! 🙂
Nancy
Just made this tonight and it was amazing! I threw in a good shake of red pepper flakes, but the rest was as written. Thank you!
Michelle
….specifically, we used Ener-g Egg Replacer.
Stephanie
Tried this last night. Not so good. It had a vague taste of the orange sauce, but was mostly “meh”. The big turn off was the consistency of the sauce. It congealed and got gross super fast. I ended up rinsing the sauce off so I could salvage the rest of the cauliflower. The only substitution I made was no egg (subbed flax seed mill/water) and ground ginger instead of fresh. Maybe it could be better with some peppers for spice and double the orange? It’s possible I just got spoiled by our local restaurant, which has the best spicy orange chicken anywhere. 🙁
Michelle
Stephanie, you might have kept the sauce on the flame too long; it thickens quite quickly and you have to pull it off the fire immediately so as not to congeal too much. We also used an egg substitute and it turned out perfectly!
Jen
Anyone know the carb content in this? Sounds yummy!!
Michelle Hill
My husband and I are definitely trying this recipe this week! Since we’re vegan, we’ll be using a vegan egg substitute in the batter. We’ll be using The Vegg vegan egg replacer; it’s the best! I’ll report back the results!
erin
holy f’ing S!! THIS is delicious!!! Thank you!!
Stephanie
You could totally try tofu instead too!!! Yum!! How exciting can’t wait.
J
Same request as Shorteye 80 above — nutritional content info, please – especially info on sodium!
Shannon
My 14 year old daughter has decided to give up red meat and poultry and after ny gall bladder surgery I decided to eat better. Going to try this and many other meatless recipes I have come across……
Shortye80
Can you share the nutritional facts for this recipe?
Lorna
Found this the other day and just made it for dinner. It was delicious! We’ve been doing more vegetarian meals, and I’ve been looking to expand my recipe box 🙂 My girls said this is definitely a do over! Thanks so much for it! 🙂
Lorieen
If anybody has any ideas on the best way to make this vegan, please let me know. 🙂 I was thinking maybe the ground flax mixed with water substitute to replace the egg.
Cami
I was thinking about substituting flax meal, too! This sounds so yummy!
Kimberly Pelletier
Do you think a powdered egg replacer would work? Would love to try this veganized?
Shawn
I’m not sure how an egg replacer would work, since I’ve never used one before. But you could just leave the egg out and add a tablespoon of water instead. You’re looking for a slightly thick batter to coat the cauliflower, and the cornstarch will do a great job. Hope that helps!
Becca
Can you make this with frozen cauliflower? Fresh is really hard to come by where I live and so expensive!
Shawn
Hi Becca, Yes you can use frozen cauliflower. Just make sure to thaw it completely first and get as much moisture out of it as you can.
Lia Huber
WOW this looks good! So excited to try … thanks!
LS Gourmet
Okay, decided to take your word for it and give it a try. WOW. I’ve already sent the link to three friends and my youngest who is a long time veggie. This is one of those rare finds, easy to make and great tasting. Thank you for posting it.
Shawn
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it as much as I do! 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Ala
This. Is. Awesome! Cauliflower makes an awesome meat sub; I’ve been making sweet & sour tempeh, which is also great. Thanks for sharing this, Shawn!
Sarah @SarahCookstheBooks
I’m not FULLY convinced, but I think I’ll have to give this a try and see for myself. :0)
KalynsKitchen
Shawn, what a great idea!
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life
I have jumped on board with the cauliflower pizza crust, so I know I would love this dish too! It it’s a trending ingredient I guess I better start buying more 🙂
Amy @Very Culinary
Oh man, I am SO making this. LOVE.
Emily
Love this idea!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie
I was skeptical, but after your praise I have to try this! My parents are going to look at me like I am insane haha.
Shawn
You will definitely love this! You could always just substitute chicken for the cauliflower if you’re not a fan of cauliflower, but it’s definitely worth a try! 🙂
lupita
I am soooo going to try this recipe, i may substitute some ingredients like the soy for coconut aminos and corn strach for organica tapioca powder if its ok? Lol.. i love veggies and cauliflower i just dont like steamed, so these kinda recipes are awesome. Thank you!
Tasha
I thought I could make this for my son, who is a vegan, however, it has egg and broth in it. I did find a generl tso sauce that has no animal ingredients I could substitute
Michelle
Tasha, my husband and I are vegan and we’ll be using The Vegg egg replacer for the 1 egg this recipe calls for. We’ve always gotten great results using it, and I don’t doubt this will be the same. I’m sure you could also use Ener-g egg replacer as well.