General Tso’s Cauliflower

1. Gently remove the florets from the stem of the Cauliflower, I used a small paring knife.
2. Rinse florets in a colander and set aside to drain.
3. In a small dish, whisk together egg and water, until it has a light lemon color.
4. In a Ziplock bag, place 2 cups of flour, 2 Tablespoons of Corn starch, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, and Garlic salt and pepper to taste.
5. Zip the bag and shake all ingredients to blend.
6. Take the Cauliflower florets and dip them in the egg batter and drop them in the flour mixture in the bag, and shake gently.
7. When all florets have been coated with flour, zip the bag closed and set aside while you heat oil for frying.
8. In a deep saucepan, or in a deep fryer, heat oil of choice (I used vegetable oil), on medium-high.
9. Make sure you have either a large slotted spoon or another large slotted utensil to place and remove the florets from the hot oil.
10. When the oil is hot, place one small floret in the slotted spoon, and gently lower into the oil, and if it floats, or comes to the top and bubbles, your oil is ready to fry the cauliflower.
11. If it sits in the oil, simply watch it, and when it begins to bubble in the oil, you’re ready to cook the cauliflower.
12. Place several florets on the slotted utensil and gently lower into the oil.
13. When florets are golden brown, remove with a slotted utensil, and drain on paper towels, repeating this step until all florets have been cooked.

For the Sauce

1. In a medium saucepan combine the first 1/4 cup water, 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste, 1/3 cup of Soy Sauce, 1 Tablespoon Rice wine vinegar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1 Tablespoon sweet chili sauce.
2. Heat on low to medium, until all blended together, and smooth.
3. In a small dish, mix 1 – 2 Tablespoons corn starch and the remaining 1/4 cup water, and blend until smooth.
4. Slowly add the cornstarch to the saucepan, stirring constantly until well blended.
5. When you first add the cornstarch, the mixture will look cloudy but continue stirring. As the cornstarch is mixed into the sauce, it will blend into the same color as the sauce.
6. Turn off heat, and drizzle sauce over fried cauliflower florets, or toss florets in the sauce.