This dish resembles and tastes like Orange Chicken. Tools are a rice cooker, wok, and one sauce pan along with mixing bowls and a baking sheet. Parchment paper makes clean up easy. The crispy cauliflower can also be used with other sauces as a great fried chicken substitute. This dish was served to three people that pretty much only eat Orange Chicken at Chinese restaurants and they all loved it. One could not believe it was cauliflower.
I think this recipe also lends itself very well to modifications.
The dish is easy to make. In order of prep… preheat the oven. Cut up the cauliflower. Put the cauliflower in the oven. While it is cooking, make the sauce in one pot. When the sauce starts to simmer, start cooking in the wok. Turn the heat down on the sauce and let it set. Finish the wok, it should be done about the same time as the cauliflower so everything gets tossed together at the end. Prep time is 5 minutes. Total time to serve is about 35 minutes.
Start with the cauliflower instead of chicken recipe.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Mushrooms (normal size pack, can be any kind), sliced (or chopped if you are trying to hide them from the kids)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper or mix with green and yellow
- 1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
- Optional to add some carrots, onions, and broccoli
- Rice (I like white short grain, but you can use brown)
- 2 Tbs Peanut Oil (use vegetable broth for frying if wanting a low fat or no oil recipe)
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 cup Rice Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Sugar (feel free to use less if you want it less sweet)
- 4T Soy Sauce
- 2T Orange Juice
- 2T Brown Sugar (light or dark)
- 1 tsp Orange Zest (use zest from one orange)
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2T Corn Starch
- 2T Cold Water
- Prepare rice as directed. I highly recommend a rice cooker.
- Place all sauce ingredients except corn starch and water in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Mix cornstarch and water to make a slurry and add to sauce to thicken. Stir over low heat until thick. If needed, add a little more cornstarch mix.
- Add mushrooms to the Wok (or large pan) and stir fry in a little olive oil or veggie broth until softened. If you are including carrots, cook them first as they will take longer.
- Add red bell pepper and green onions (and any other veggies) and continue to stir fry until softened.
- When cauliflower is done, stir them into stir-fry and mix.
- Add sauce mix to the veggies and cauliflower and stir over medium heat until all pieces are fully coated.
- Serve hot with rice. If you want some heat, use Sriracha or add red pepper flakes when making the sauce.
