General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos
Take vegetarian tacos to a new level with these General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos! Cauliflower florets are battered, fried and tossed with an easy homemade General Tso’s Sauce. Serve in tortillas with mashed avocado!
Since we moved to this city ten years ago, our favorite Chinese takeout restaurant has always been there for us. When somebody wasn’t feeling well, China Ruby’s wonton soup was there to soothe.
After a long day when nobody felt like cooking, a delicious hot meal was just a phone call away. Truth be told, we took China Ruby for granted until just recently.
Last month, we walked by and saw a sign on the door that said they were closed for vacation. This is actually very normal for them – they always take an annual vacation around the time of Chinese New Year. But when one week turned into two weeks, and then a month, we started to get very worried.
The news in the community is that the owner, Tina (who we had a terrible habit of referring to simply as “Ruby”) is very ill and not expected to recover.
We’re holding out hope that somehow this is just a fantastical rumor, but at this point it’s clear that something is very wrong. I think about her often and am hoping for the best.
It’s only been about a month, but we’re already missing Ruby’s General Tso’s Chicken something terribly. Knowing that I’ll never be able to recreate their delicious chicken recipe, I decided to try my hand at General Tso’s meatballs and now, this General Tso’s cauliflower.
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The ingredients for these General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos are easy to find at your grocery store!
- corn tortillas (or flour, if you have some left over from a fajita bar or mushroom tacos)
- avocados
- cauliflower
- sesame oil
- garlic
- ginger
- soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- light brown sugar
- tomato paste
- cornstarch
- vegetable broth
- sambal oelek
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- eggs
- green onions
- sesame seeds
About these General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos:
It’s a good idea to get all of your ingredients prepped before you start frying the cauliflower. Make the General Tso’s Sauce and keep it on low heat, mash the avocados, and cut up the green onions. Cut the cauliflower into small florets, and then make the fry batter.
In batches, dip the cauliflower florets into the batter and then transfer to the hot oil in your frying pan. Transfer fried cauliflower to the oven on a baking pan fitting with a rack to keep warm.
After all cauliflower is fried, warm the tortillas in whatever way is most convenient to you – frying, microwave, or (my favorite way), warming them over a gas flame.
In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with sauce and then assemble your tacos. Enjoy!
Psst – have a leftover hunk of fresh ginger? Use it to try my best orange chicken recipe! It’s a take on a Trader Joe’s favorite, but made a little healthier.
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General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos
Ingredients
For the General Tso’s sauce:
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ⅓ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
For the Fried Cauliflower:
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup water
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
For Taco Assembly:
- 18 corn or flour tortillas warmed
- 3 avocados peeled, pitted and mashed
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the General Tso's Sauce:
- In small bowl, whisk together broth and cornstarch. In medium saucepan, heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, sambal oelek and broth mixture. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.
Make the Fried Cauliflower:
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place cooling rack inside rimmed baking pan and place in oven. In large bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. Add flour, cornstarch, baking power and water; whisk until smooth.
- Add about two inches of vegetable oil to a large frying pan. Heat over medium-high heat until oil reaches 350 degrees F (if you do not have a thermometer to check oil temperature, you can carefully drop a small bit of batter into oil. If it bubbles and rises to the top, the oil is hot enough to fry). Working in batches, dip cauliflower florets into batter, allowing excess batter to drip off before transferring to hot oil. Fry 4 to 6 minutes or until cauliflower is deep golden brown, turning frequently. As cauliflower finishes frying, use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper-towel lined plate, and then use plate to transfer cauliflower to rack-lined pan in oven. Repeat process with remaining cauliflower florets.
- When all cauliflower is fried, place cauliflower in large bowl. Pour General Tso's Sauce over cauliflower and toss to combine.
- Assemble tacos by spreading tortillas with mashed avocado and topping with General Tso's Cauliflower. Sprinkle with onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
- Home Chef Tip: Be sure to cut the cauliflower into very small florets. Remember that the florets will almost double in size once they are battered and fried!
I came across this recipe the other day and thought I would give it try. I never thought of Chinese and Mexican dishes coming together like this, but it worked perfectly. I air fried the cauliflower instead of frying them, and it came out nice and crispy. The guacamole and sour cream combined with the heat of the sauce play off of each other well. Will definitely save this and make again, especially when football season starts back up or for Super Bowl Sunday. Thank you!
Hi Lisa – I’m so glad you liked this recipe! I recently acquired an air fryer myself, so I love the idea of air frying the cauli!
I have two things to say about this post …
1) I thought it was absolutely delicious. The cauliflower stayed crispy and the sauce was spicy and tangy. Fusion done so well, my dear.
2) Your write-up about Tina was wonderful. I am so sad to hear of her passing. She was such a nice small business owner … with good food.
This looks super! I’m going to try it. Thanks!
Thanks Heather. Enjoy!