Oranges and cauliflower? At first you'd think they won't go together but trust me, they do!
I had some navel oranges in hand and squeezed up some fresh juice for the glaze with a few added ingredients to give that perfect sweet and tangy flavour. This is a glaze recipe I can't wait to try with tofu and in stir-fries too!
So yes, I've created a vegan glazed orange cauliflower 'chicken' recipe that reminds me of those Chinese dishes I grew up eating. Does this remind you of Panda Express' orange chicken too?
So excited for you to try this one! Find the full recipe below.
Are you looking for more delicious, vegan recipes? Check out my latest Vegan Kitchen eBook, that has over 95 recipes (and a whole section for Asian recipes!) that are packed with flavour and made with simple and easily accessible ingredients! Also, two trees (instead of 1!) will be planted for every download of my eBook through non-profit organisation One Tree Planted.🌲
Glazed Orange Cauliflower “Chicken"
Serves 2-3 people
2 raw small heads of cauliflower, makes around 3 cups of florets (650g)
Canola or other neutral oil, for frying
Extra orange slices
Sesame seeds, for garnishing
Batter:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup room temp. water
Breading:
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup desiccated coconut (or sub more bread crumbs)
Glaze:
1 cup orange juice from 2 navel oranges (or orange juice of choice)
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener of choice
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
2 tbsp room temp. water
Cornstarch Slurry for Glaze:
2 tbsp cornstarch + 4 tbsp room temp. water, mixed
Steps
In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the batter until it turns into a smooth, thick consistency.
Evenly coat the florets in the batter. You can do this in batches.
In another bowl, add in the bread crumbs and desiccated coconut. Mix.
One by one, place each cauliflower into the breadcrumb mixture. Coat well using one hand (this is to avoid messy hands—I usually use one hand for dry and one hand for wet when coating cauliflower). Press down the bread crumbs on the cauliflower. Set aside once coated.
Heat a frying pan with some oil. Once hot (you can add in some bread crumbs to test the heat—it will start to bubble once hot), place the cauliflower florets and cook until golden brown, moving it around on each side every 2 minutes or so.
Once golden brown, set aside on a strainer to drain excess oil or you can put this on a plate with paper towels. Let cool for a few minutes.
For the glaze, mix everything into a sauce pan and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes until it starts to boil.
Turn off heat then pour in the cornstarch slurry mixture and mix until it thickens. You can add some more sliced oranges, if desired.
Add the cauliflower into the glaze and mix until well incorporated. Sprinkle some sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy while hot!
Baking option: Heat oven to 350F. On a baking tray lined with parchment paper, place the cauliflower. You can opt to brush them with a little oil. Bake the cauliflower for 35-40 minutes or until crisp. Flip halfway through cooking. I used an oven toaster with temperature settings.
