General Gau’s Cauliflower

Ever since we moved into our house two years ago we’ve had repainting the living and dining rooms on our upcoming projects list. However, with our limited decorative talents and general indecisiveness this project hasn’t yet gotten off the ground. We both enjoy bright and vibrant colors but fear that we may regret a bold wall over time. That said, we also don’t want a house with all white or gray walls. Though those do look good in magazines and many of our friends make it look perfect, it’s not our style. We want fun furniture we’ve collected over time, big green plants filling window sills, and a few treasured trinkets purposefully placed here and there. So – who wants to come over and consult? There must be a market for casual diy decorating support that doesn’t break the bank? Help me out here!

Ok, now onto this cauliflower. As it gets darker and my nesting urges increase so does my urge for comfort food. This dish here fits the bill and was the first time I EVER deep fried something. Don’t let the cauliflower trick you into thinking this is healthy – this is indeed a treat. That said, there is less sugar than if you ordered it from a restaurant, so I suppose it had that going for it.

All in all this was a fun dish to prepare and I was pleasantly surprised with the final texture and flavor. The cauliflower was simply breaded in a dry batter, fried in a few inches of oil, and then let to air dry on a cooling rack.

Also, I used Pinch of Yum’s recipe for General Tso’s Cauliflower as my guide and adjusted the sauce slightly. While I know that most people refer to General Tso, and I’ve even heard there was a documentary digging into his past, we always called it General Gau’s (admittedly, in my very Anglo house), so I’m going to stick with that here.

Head over to Fiesta Friday where I’ve posted this recipe. This week the fun is hosted by Antonia @ Zoale.com and Laurena @ Life Diet Health

General Gau's Cauliflower

Servings: 4-5
Time: 10 prep + 20 cook = 30 mins
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General Gau's cauliflower is a make at home variation on a take out classic!

Ingredients

1 medium head of cauliflower
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
4 cloves of garlic- minced
1 inch of fresh ginger – grated
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs – beaten
1/4 cup water
2 cups corn oil
Sesame seeds
Green onions for garnish

Steps & Notes

Cook rice according to the directions and set aside.
In a saucepan heat the sesame oil and then add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the broth, soy, vinegar, and hoisin. Cook for 25 – 30 minutes adding sriracha to taste towards the end.
Chop the cauliflower into bite sized pieces (or two bites if that makes you happy).
Combine the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and eggs for the batter. Add the water slowly so that the batter is thick enough to stick to the floret but loose enough that it coats each bite in an even layer.
In a wide fry pan with vertical sides add about 2 cups of vegetable oil – enough to make a layer about 1 inch thick. Turn the heat to medium-high.
- Note: Be careful at this point – oil is HOT and will splatter when oil-based items are introduced.
Once the oil is hot (tested with a tiny bit of butter that comes to a float) dip the cauliflower into the batter in batches and place it slowly into the oil.
Cook for about 2 minute per side. Then, remove slowly from the oil onto a cooling rack.
Once the cauliflower is cool put it into a large glass bowl and drizzle with the sauce.
Put in big bowl – cover in sauce and then serve over rice with green onions and sesame seeds.

Tags: Cauliflower, Rice

10 comments

Robin at Haphazard Homemaker · October 23, 2018 - 8:44 pm · Reply→

Sounds delicious!

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Snapshotsincursive · October 24, 2018 - 10:02 am · Reply→

My dinner! 😋

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Life Diet Health · October 26, 2018 - 9:32 am · Reply→

Cauliflower was never a favourite of mine until I discovered it could be battered and fried! This looks and sounds like a great recipe – thanks for linking up and sharing at Fiesta Friday.

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Karen (Back Road Journal) · October 26, 2018 - 10:20 am · Reply→

Very flavorful no matter which General it is named after. 😀

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Laura · October 27, 2018 - 11:26 pm · Reply→

Great post! If it’s a wall that’s too bold that you fear how about hanging a few giant prints up and adding some spice that way? There are so many good nature based prints available now (eg giant leaves etc) that would work well instead of bright paint or wallpaper….

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1. PantryPortfolio · October 28, 2018 - 7:47 pm · Reply→
  
  Thanks! Also, that’s such a great idea. I’ll look into it.
  
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Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Sliders | The Pantry Portfolio · October 28, 2018 - 11:30 am · Reply→

[…] just gave a large percentage of that over to a plumber. Of course this is coming right after my post last week where I was fantasizing about finally redecorating our living room. This clearly […]

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Worthy Widow · October 29, 2018 - 4:51 am · Reply→

It’s only paint. If you don’t like it over time, you can always paint over it. Take the chance! Tag me in the picture! YOLO❤

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1. PantryPortfolio · October 29, 2018 - 8:13 pm · Reply→
  
  YES; You are so right. Thanks for the nudge. I’m just gonna go for it and see what happens.
  
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  1. Worthy Widow · October 30, 2018 - 9:26 pm ·
    
    REALLY?! THAT’S GREAT! I’M SO EXCITED!!! WE NEED BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS!
    
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