This Orange Cauliflower Stir Fry is a vegetarian version of Orange Chicken takeout. A recipe for delicious meatless takeout made quick and easy at home.
If you are a regular reader, you might know that I really love cauliflower. And many of you do, too!
Motivated by the great feedback I received for the Cauliflower Alfredo Recipe, I developed a few recipes that include this healthier vegetable sauce. You can see them all here.
I wrote an article for eBay about surprising ways to cook with cauliflower and even made Chocolate Cake (!) with what seems to be my favorite vegetable at the moment.
Using Cauliflower Like a BOSS
And now I've even used cauliflower to replace meat in this Orange 'Chicken' Stir Fry. Instead of chicken pieces, cauliflower florets are fried to a crispy crunch and tossed in a fragrant orange sauce.
I sweetened my sauce with honey and a generous amount of ginger and garlic to give it a heavenly aroma. Served with steamed rice, this cauliflower stir fry is a simple and quick dinner to make.
However, I won't try to convince you to skip the takeout, because this meal isn't faster to prepare than ordering and waiting on delivery from your favorite Chinese place.
A Time and Place for Cooking at Home and For Take Out
I mean, definitely, homemade usually tastes better and is better for your wallet. But even the quickest to make meal requires planning to have all ingredients on hand. And after the cooking, there is still the kitchen to clean up.
So there definitely is a time and place for takeout in my life. I vividly remember the time when morning sickness kept me out of the kitchen, but we were expecting people over for dinner.
Also, if you have special dietary needs and food sensitivities, traditional takeout may not even be an option for you. It doesn't mean you have to live without American-Chinese comfort food. There are ways to adapt your takeout favorites to your needs.
The link to my regular Honey-Orange Chicken at the bottom includes many tips for adaptations.
Check out the regular Honey-Orange Chicken recipe HERE.
Similar Savory Dinners
More Better-than-Takeout Recipes and check out these similar recipes:
Random Questions
Soaking cauliflower in water before cooking helps to remove any dirt or debris that may be hidden in the florets, ensuring a cleaner and more hygienic final dish.
To cut cauliflower for stir fry, first remove the leaves and stem, then separate the florets into bite-sized pieces, ensuring they are uniform in size for even cooking.
Adding complementary spices and flavors like ginger, garlic, and soy sauce can help enhance the natural flavors of cauliflower and create a more robust and appetizing dish.
It's not necessary to boil vegetables before stir-frying. Instead, they can be quickly cooked in the wok, preserving their crunch and nutritional value.
Recipe
Cauliflower Orange "Chicken" Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 4 cups cauliflower florets
- salt + pepper
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ⅔ cup potato starch
- 1 cup bell pepper diced, multi-colored
- coconut oil for frying + 1 tablespoon
Honey Orange Sauce
- 2 teaspoons ginger freshly grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup orange juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- In a bowl stir together cauliflower florets with salt and pepper, soy sauce and vinegar.
- Place potato starch in a shallow bowl or plate. Lift cauliflower florets out of marinade (reserve for sauce) and toss in starch until coated. Shake off excess.
- Heat oil on medium-high heat. Fry cauliflower in portions not to overcrowd the pan until lightly browned, then transfer to paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- In a sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Lightly sauté diced bell peppers for a few minutes, then set aside.
- Add ginger and garlic to the pan and sauté quickly until fragrant. Add chicken broth, orange juice, honey and reserved soy sauce marinade and stir to combine.
- Keep cooking sauce until it reduces and thickens to a syrup-like consistency.
- Add fried cauliflower and diced bell pepper to reduced sauce and toss to coat. Serve with steamed rice, sprinkled with green onion and sesame.
Pin Cauliflower Orange "Chicken" Stir Fry recipe for later?
Melissa Belanger
I love this idea! What a great way to lighten up Chinese food, and what a creative way to use cauliflower 🙂 Pinning this for later!
Regina
Thank you Melissa! I really can't seem to have too much cauliflower in my life 🙂