Sweet Sour Cauliflower & Vegetable Fried Rice

Sweet Sour Cauliflower was a hit!  Let's first start with the recipe for the sauce, since I started there! Meanwhile, find a nice cauliflower, preferably one that is on sale, because we know it can be pricey.

Also, FYI, I soak my brown rice for several hours (mostly over night), rinse thoroughly, and this shortens the cooking time.  Cold or room temperature is sufficient for a 'stir fry'.  Use any of your favorite vegetables, pre-steamed, add Vegetarian Oyster Sauce (mushroom), oil, and seasons to your large skillet or Wok.  Fry rice and toss in vegetables. 

Sauce

2 T White Vinegar or Rice Wine 
1 T Brown Sugar
1 T Ketchup
1/4 T lime juice
1 t Soy Sauce
Starch Slurry (2 T Corn Starch, 4 t Water)
Water 
Pinch of Pepper Flakes, Onion Powder


Directions: Combine ingredients over medium heat, add more water to thin.  Keep Warm, cover.

Fried Cauliflower

Preheat a medium sauce pot with canola oil, 1/4 of from the bottom of the pot, but not more than half full.  

Cauliflower, washed, cut into florets and small pieces (not tiny).

In a large mixing bowl, assemble your favorite seasons (season salt, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dried parsley, ranch flavor, coarse ground pepper) with 2 T golden flax meal, 1 t baking powder, 1/3 c flour, 2 T corn starch, very hot water (hot water will bloom the flax meal) which will make a med. loose batter, thick enough to coat your cauliflower and stick, but still able to see the cauliflower through batter!

Toss your pieces into the batter coating each piece.  If you have a lot of batter and your cauliflower is swimming in it, remove your coated pieces to another mixing bowl, but first add a few teaspoons of flour to the bottom of the bowl to keep them from sticking and losing their batter. 

Store this excess batter for your next fry within a day or two.

Now, sprinkle gently some flour on top of the cauliflower pieces to help seal that batter and promote a nice crunch.  Make sure your oil is hot.  Have your drain pan available (paper towel and a cookie sheet).  Drop your cauliflower into heat, but do not over stuff which will bring down the temperature and your pieces will be soggy.

The goal is to fry the cauliflower in a flash, to form a hard crispy brown coating.  Fry a few at a time!  Drain on the towels.  Drizzle your sauce over them serve with your fried rice.