What I Make This Recipe
After posting two consecutive vegan ice cream recipes, I guess it’s time for a savoury recipe! I used to adore Kung Pao chicken before I went vegan. And I saw some recipes online making a vegan version of it using cauliflower to substitute chicken. Hence, I decided to try it myself and created this Kung Pao Cauliflower recipe. ๐
Sauce Is Everything
Kung Pao chicken is a traditional Sichuan dish. It is a little bit spicy and usually stir-fried with chicken and capsicums. The one element that contribute most to the flavor of this dish is the sauce. Since the sauce can be easily made vegan, it is in fact not difficult to veganize this dish. ๐
Preparing The Cauliflower
Once you’ve mastered the sauce, the next step is to imitate chicken using cauliflower. This is achieved by using the same method as making cauliflower wings. First, you need to make a batter to coat the cauliflower in. Then, you baked (or deep fry) until the batter gives a nice crust on the surface of the cauliflower. Dip the crusted cauliflower in the Kung Pao sauce you prepared. Bake it for a further 10-15 minutes. And ta-daa! You made yourself some seriously addictive Kung Pao Cauliflower! ๐
Gluten-free & High Protein
Since I made the batter with chickpea flour, it is naturally gluten-free and high in protein. If you have difficulties in buying chickpea flour, simply replace it with all-purpose flour (gluten-free if needed) or oat flour. I found that chickpea flour gave the best texture, but oat flour would be a nice substitute.๐๐ป
Serving Suggestions
This Kung Pao Cauliflower are perfect to serve with rice, grains (such as quinoa), noodles or toss in a salad! ๐ฅThey are also great as a savoury snack or put inside a wrap or sandwich. ๐ฅ
Kung Pao Cauliflower (Vegan, Gluten-free)
Course: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
2 heads cauliflower (cut into florets)
- Batter
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup plant milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
- Topping
Toasted sesame seeds
- Kung Pao Sauce
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp liquid amino
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp liquid sweetener of your choice (I used agave syrup)
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 tsp chickpea flour
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Pinch of chili powder
Directions
- Preheat oven to 200 ยฐC .
- Batter
- In a medium bowl, add all batter ingredients and mix well. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes before using it.
- Cauliflower
- Dip one cauliflower floret at a time into the batter mixture. Gently tap the floret at the side of the bowl to get rid of the excess batter.
- Place the coated cauliflower floret on a lined baking tray. Continue with all other florets.
- Bake it for about 20 minutes, while flipping half way through
- Kung Pao Sauce
- While the cauliflowers are baking, prepare the sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small sauce pan.
- Bring it to a boil and then simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes until it thickens.
- Once the cauliflowers are done, take them out and toss them with the Kung Pao sauce.
- Sprinkle some toasted sesame on top and put them back in the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes until they became nice and crispy.
