Cauliflower used to be an ingredient that I would love to eat more often but don’t know how to cook and ended up avoiding buying. However, ever since I discovered this sweet and sour cauliflowers recipe, now I grab cauliflower from the grocery store without having to hesitate and can’t wait to cook it.
If you think you don’t like cauliflower, this recipe may help change your mind.
I want to start with the sauce! While there are many different ways to make sweet and sour sauce, this one is my favorite.
You can easily make at home and it goes great with other dishes as well.
No need to go out and get preserved pineapple juice. With this recipe, I will show you how to use ketchup that’s already in your pantry to make the sauce.
All you have to do is whisking grated garlic, ginger, ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil together in a bowl and bring to a simmer over medium-low or low heat.
Sometimes, I like to make extra sauce, and store it in the fridge to use it later for other dishes.
Like how you would cook the sweet and sour chicken, we’ll need to coat the cauliflower florets with a batter and then deep fry.
Personally, I prefer a thin batter over a thick batter. A thin batter allows me to still see the shape of the cauliflower after deep-frying and contains less carbs.
After coating the deep-fried cauliflower florets well with the sweet and sauce sauce, we’ll be almost done.
Garnish with freshly chopped parsley helps to add contrasting color and a touch of fresh taste to the dish.
I find fresh parsley goes really well with this dish, if you don’t have it at hand or are simply not a fan of it, green onion works great as well.
I hope you enjoy making Sweet and Sour Cauliflower. If you like this recipe, please leave a rating and share it with your friends!
- ½ head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about ½-inch size)
- a handful of chopped fresh parsley for topping
- a few cups of oil for frying (enough to cover the cauliflowers)
- For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- half a teaspoon sesame oil
- For the coating:
- 2 tablespoons sticky rice flour
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons water
- Whisk garlic, ginger, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil in a small container, set aside.
- Mix sticky rice flour, all purpose flour, salt, baking soda in a bowl, slowly pour in the water, whisk while pouring until a smooth mixture is formed.
- Add the cauliflower florets into the mixture until each florets are coated evenly.
- In a deep pan, heat oil until reaching temperature for deep frying (dip a chopstick into the oil, if it starts bubbling steadily, ready to use)
- Deep fry the flour coated cauliflowers for a few minutes until golden brown, remove from oil and fry again for about 30 seconds, rest on paper towel to drain oil and cool down.
- Heat skillet over medium-low heat, pour in the sauce and bring to simmer.
- Add in the fried cauliflower and gently stir to coat the sauce evenly onto the cauliflowers.
- Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley to serve and enjoy!
7 comments
This sweet and sour cauliflower looks INSANELY delicious! The texture looks absolutely perfect 🙂
Thank you Sarah. I am really glad you liked it!
Great recipe! Very delicious
Thank you!
Hi… can you please explain how to prevent the cauliflower absorbing too much oil during frying? thanks..
Hi Holly,
The temperature of the oil affects the amount of oil absorbed when deep frying. Lower oil temperature lengthens the frying time and leads to more oil being absorbed. Higher temperature keeps the food from absorbing too much oil and stay crispy. However, if the oil is too hot, the surface will likely to burn before the inside is cooked through.
Between 325˚F and 375˚F is an ideal temperature range for frying in general.Hope it helps!
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing it . It’s now one of my favorites. I add green and red peppers and yellow onions and spring onions and cilantro to the sauce when I tossed it with the fried cauliflower. You can also add a little West African red pepper to make it spicier. Delicious and not as filling as meat but still satisfying.