What you’ll need (for 2-3 people):
Main ingredients:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 2 eggs, mixed (or an egg substitution such as “flax egg” if you are vegan)
- Rice flour or cornstarch (or all-purpose flour)
- 1-2 tablespoons of turmeric (for color)
- 1 tablespoon each of salt and pepper
- Cooking oil (such as peanut or vegetable oil)
- Unsalted cashews
- 250-300 grams (a little over 1 cup) of rice
- 1 lemon, squeezed
- 1-2 handfuls of coriander (also known as cilantro), chopped finely
- 1-2 handfuls of sesame seeds
For the sauce:
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of ginger, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or honey or maple syrup)
- Crushed red pepper flakes or sriracha (depending on your desired level of spice)
You can also use this Sriracha Caramel sauce if, depending on where you live, you are lucky enough to get your hands on it! (If you are vegan, feel free to substitute the above with another sauce. For example, you can mix 2 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons sugar (or honey or maple syrup) to make a delicious peanut sauce).
Optional (if you would like to make fried rice):
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1-2 handfuls of peas
- 1 egg
- 1 green onion (also known as scallions)
Instructions:
Begin by cutting up the cauliflower into roughly 2 1/2-3 cm (a little over 1 inch) chunks. The bigger you cut them, the more uneven they will be and the longer it will take to fry each one. Set the cauliflower chunks aside.
Fill a pot with approximately 3-4 cm (1 – 1 1/2 inches) of your preferred type of cooking oil (you should ideally pick one that is best for frying, such as peanut or sunflower oil). The amount of oil needed will depend on the size of your cauliflower chunks, as well as your pot. Set this on medium to high heat.
Prepare two bowls, one with the egg mixture (or a vegan substitute) and one with your preferred type of flour mixed with turmeric, salt and pepper (rice flour or cornflour are best for frying, but all-purposed flour will work just fine as well). How much flour you will need will again depend on the size of your cauliflower. I would say you will probably need anywhere from 200-300 grams of flour (between 1 and 1 1/2 cups).
Next, take a chunk of cauliflower, dip it into the egg mixture, gently tap off the excess, and dunk it into the bowl of flour. You may want to sprinkle the cauliflower with flour while turning it to make sure it is evenly coated. Tap off the excess flour.
Drop the coated chunk of cauliflower into the hot cooking oil and let it fry until it has turned a golden-brown color. Repeat with the rest of the cauliflower chunks and set aside.
To make the sauce, mix the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and crushed red pepper flakes or sriracha sauce together, then set aside.
I am going to assume you know how to make rice (1 part rice, 2 parts water), so if you would like to make fried rice, just fry up the carrots and peas with an egg and then mix them into the cooked rice. Top with the ends of one green onion.
Now, it is time to plate! Lay a bed of rice (or fried rice) in a bowl. Add the fried cauliflower chunks and cashews on top and drizzle with the sauce and the juice of a squeezed lemon. Sprinkle with coriander and sesame seeds and add the slice of a lemon for decoration if desired.
Enjoy!