Cauliflower General Tso's

Cauliflower version of Kenji’s “Best General Tso’s Chicken Recipe”

Ingredients

For the Marinade

• 1 large egg white
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) Shaoxing wine¹
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) 80-proof vodka
• 3 tablespoons (24g) cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon (1g) baking soda
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets

For the Dry Coating

• 1/2 cup (64g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (64g) cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon (2g) baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (1.5g) kosher salt

For the Sauce

• 4 tablespoons (50g) granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) Shaoxing wine¹
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) Chinese rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) peanut, vegetable, or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons (6g) minced garlic (about 2 medium cloves)
• 2 teaspoons (4g) minced fresh ginger (about one 1-inch piece)
• 2 teaspoons (4g) minced scallion bottoms (about 1 scallion), plus 6 to 8 scallions, white parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) toasted sesame oil
• 8 small dried red Chinese or Arbol chiles²

To finish

• 1 1/2 quarts (1.4 liters) peanut, vegetable, or canola oil for deep frying

Process

1. For the Marinade: Beat egg whites in a large bowl until broken down and lightly foamy. Add soy sauce, wine, and vodka and whisk to combine. Set aside half of marinade in a small bowl. Add cornstarch and baking soda to the large bowl and whisk to combine. Add cauliflower to large bowl and turn with fingers to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

2. For the Dry Coat: Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until homogeneous. Add reserved marinade and whisk until mixture has coarse, mealy clumps. Set aside.

3. For the Sauce: Combine sugar, chicken stock, soy sauce, wine, vinegar, cornstarch, and sesame oil in a small bowl and stir with a fork until cornstarch is dissolved and no lumps remain. Set aside.

4. Combine oil, garlic, ginger, minced scallions, and red chiles in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are aromatic and soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir sauce mixture and add to skillet, making sure to scrape out any sugar or starch that has sunk to the bottom of bowl. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add scallion segments. Transfer sauce to a bowl to stop cooking, but don’t wipe out skillet.

5. To Finish: Heat 1 1/2 quarts peanut, vegetable, or canola oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 350°F (177°C) and adjust flame to maintain temperature.

6. Working one piece at a time, transfer cauliflower from marinade to dry coat mixture, tossing in between each addition to coat cauliflower. When all cauliflower is added to dry coat, toss with hands, pressing dry mixture onto cauliflower so it adheres, and making sure that every piece is coated thoroughly.

7. Lift cauliflower one piece at a time, shake off excess coating, and carefully lower into hot oil (do not drop it). Once all cauliflower is added, cook, agitating with long chopsticks or a metal spider, and adjusting flame to maintain a temperature of 325 to 375°F (163 to 191°C), until cauliflower is cooked through and very crispy, about 4 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to a paper towel-lined bowl to drain.

8. Add cauliflower to empty skillet and return sauce to skillet. Toss cauliflower, folding it with a rubber spatula until all pieces are thoroughly coated. Serve immediately with white rice.

Impressions

• This is so good!
  • The sauce and fried cauliflower are awesome by themselves and made better together
  • Fried cauliflower has a great crunchiness and the little chunks of fried dredge that stick to them are wonderful
  • Sauce has a good sweetness without being cloying (like Kenji was going for) and it’s got some heat without being overwhelming
• Don’t put as much marinade in the dredge as the recipe says
  • Ended up with large chunks and had to add flour to get the right consistency (luckily there was a picture of what we were going for)
  • The amount of marinade (with 1/2 in the dredge) was a good amount => if using less in the dredge, could probably get away with making less marinade
    • OTOH, the amount of dredge was about right with adding ~1/4 C of flour so maybe it just worked out right with our modifications
• 2 arbols is plenty (I would be fine with ~4 but more sensitive mouths would prefer no more than 2, and maybe even 1)
• Lots of work and messy, but definitely worth it.