Name: Sweet and Sour Cauliflower
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 0.5 cauliflower; 1 capsicum(s); 1 red onion(s); 1 tomato(es); 2 tsp curry powder; 0.125 tsp black pepper powder; 1.625 tsp salt; 0.33 cup glutinous rice flour; 0.33 cup all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking soda; 100 ml water; oil; 3 tbsp ketchup; 1 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tsp sugar; 0.25 tsp black pepper; 0.25 cup water; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tsp corn starch; 1 tbsp oil

This sweet and sour cauliflower is as good as the classic sweet and sour pork dish. It’s tasty and a great way to sneak more vegetables into your meal. The secret crispy batter goes so well with the thick ketchup gravy. Best served with white rice.

0 stars

Karin

Total Time

Preparation 20 mins
Cooking 20 mins

Dish Type

Side

Cuisines

Malaysian, Singaporean, Chinese

Nutrition per Serving

Calories

188 kcal

Carbs

34 g

Fat

4 g

Protein

5 g

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Sweet and sour cauliflower is a dish loved by vegans and non-vegans alike. Even avid meat lovers have been cheated into loving this dish. Instead of the classic sweet and sour pork, this dish is plant based. Definitely a must-try if you want to have a very flavourful vegetable dish.

How to clean cauliflower?

Check if the cauliflower has any bruises. These bruises exist due to oxidation and can be easily removed with a knife. Cut it into smaller florets and rinse them with water.

Using a paring knife to cut off bruises on cauliflower

Avoid uneven cooking

When cutting the vegetables, ensure that they are cut into similar sizes. Uneven sizes may result in some parts cooking faster than the other. You'd want the vegetables to be cooked and yet have a little crunch to it.

Secret ingredient in the batter

The ingredient that makes a big difference in the dish is curry powder. Do not worry about it being spicy because only a minimal amount is used. Adding curry powder to the batter immediately elevates the dish making it so tasty. It blends very well with the gravy as it does not overpower the ketchup based sauce. I normally use meat curry powder but you can use any type of curry powder mixture available. It is the mix of spices that makes the dish stands out.

Why add baking powder to the batter?

It can be omitted. However, baking powder helps to make the batter crispier and provides a better shade of golden brown when fried.

3 tips for a crispy dish

The best tasting sweet and sour dishes rely on one crucial factor, that is the crispiness of the meat. In this recipe, the cauliflower. To perfect the crispiness, you need to ensure the perfect batter blend, heat for frying and amount of gravy.

Instead of using all-purpose flour exclusively for the batter, a combination of glutinous rice flour and all purpose flour at a 1:1 ratio yields the perfect crispy batter.
Frying cauliflower over medium to high heat so that they crisped up and brown faster. The shorter the time, the better. This is to prevent the cauliflower from turning mushy.
Having too much gravy will make the fried cauliflower soggy. The suggested ingredients for the gravy may seem too little initially but it is actually sufficient to coat the cauliflower. If you want more gravy, simply double the measurements of the sauce but the dish will turn soggy pretty quickly.

Vegetables and fruits in the dish

Just like the classic sweet and sour pork dish, pineapples, carrots or even lychees may be added. The vegetables need to be quickly sauteed before adding the gravy mixture. However, if you prefer crunchier vegetables, you can skip the step and directly cook them along with the gravy.

Ingredients

Servings:

1⁄2: cauliflower
1: capsicum(s)
1: red onion(s)
1: tomato(es)
2 tsp: curry powder
1⁄8 tsp: black pepper powder
1.63 tsp: salt
1⁄3 cup: glutinous rice flour
1⁄3 cup: all-purpose flour
1 tsp: baking soda
100 ml: water
—: oil
3 tbsp: ketchup
1 tbsp: white vinegar
1 tsp: sugar
1⁄4 tsp: black pepper
1⁄4 cup: water
1 tbsp: light soy sauce
1 tsp: corn starch
1 tbsp: oil

Steps to Prepare

Step 1 of 5

- 1⁄2 cauliflower
- 1 capsicum(s)
- 1 red onion(s)
- 1 tomato(es)
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1⁄8 tsp black pepper powder
- 1⁄8 tsp salt

Chop cauliflower, capsicum, tomato and onion into bite-sized pieces. Rinse the cauliflower to wash off any dirt. Mix the cauliflower with curry powder, black pepper and salt. Set aside.

Step 2 of 5

- 1⁄4 cup glutinous rice flour
- 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 100 ml water
- 1 tsp salt

In another bowl, prepare the batter by mixing glutinous rice flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, water and salt. Once fully mixed, pour the batter into the bowl of cauliflower. Ensure that all the pieces of cauliflower are evenly coated. You may dip each cauliflower pieces individually into the batter instead.

Step 3 of 5

- oil

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. The oil should cover at least half of the cauliflower pieces. Add more oil if needed. The cauliflower will be golden brown when ready. Set aside.

Step 4 of 5

- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 1⁄4 tsp black pepper
- 1⁄4 cup water
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp oil

Prepare ketchup mixture by combining ketchup, vinegar, salt, black pepper, water, soy sauce and corn starch. Then, heat up a pan with oil. Sauté onion, capsicum, tomato and finally, the ketchup mixture.