I bought myself a beautiful vegetarian cookbook called Family, by Hetty McKinnon. I had seen the author cook this recipe live on social media, during a virtual culinary conference. With a family of dedicated carnivores, I wanted to see if they would even notice a meatless dish. It turns out that they devoured this delicious vegetarian dish, not even realizing there was no meat involved. I used both broccoli and cauliflower florets, but you can stick to one vegetable if you choose. Give it a try!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 package favorite noodles pasta, ramen, rice noodles, et....
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or a flour substitute of choice
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup neutral cooking oil grapeseed oil or peanut oil
- 1 large head of cauliflower or broccoli or a combo of both cut into florets
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot or cornstarch (for thickening)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain the noodles and set aside.
- For the batter, whisk together the 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of water, garlic and a pinch of salt, in a large bowl. Heat a wok or large pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Using tongs, dip the florets into the batter and then carefully dip the florets, one piece at a time into the oil and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Repeat until all the florets are cooked. Set florets on a plate lined with paper towel and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- To make the sauce, combine the sugar, vinegar, tamari or soy sauce, ketchup, and garlic to a small saucepan and place on low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Combine the cornstarch (or arrowroot) together and whisk until combined. Add this mixture to the saucepan and stir for about 2 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Toss the cauliflower florets with the sauce. Combine the noodles with the cauliflower, season to taste and top with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
