The humble cauliflower in the guise of ginger beef is the star of this dish! Florets of cauliflower are rice battered and roasted to a crisp before being tossed with a sweet and spicy ginger sauce.
The cauliflower:
- one large cauliflower stemmed and broken into 1 inch florets
- 1 cup of brown rice flour
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. himalayan salt
- 1 cup of water
Preheat your oven to 400 F.
Whisk the rice flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and water in a large bowl until smooth. Add the cauliflower, tossing well to coat all of the florets with the batter.
Spread onto a well oiled cookie sheet. Bake for 15 min. and then remove from the oven to flip them over. Bake for an additional 15 minutes until lightly browned. While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the sauce.
Ginger Sauce:
- 2 medium sized carrots sliced on a diagonal and then slivered.
- 1 red pepper, cored and sliced thinly
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- a two inch piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup of tamari
- 4 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. mirin (or cooking sherry)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup of coconut sugar
- 2 Tbsp. of arrowroot powder ( or cornstarch)
- 1/2 cup of raw cashews
- 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
Heat olive oil in a medium sized fry pan. Saute slivered carrots, red pepper, garlic and ginger until veggies are tender but firm. (about 5 minutes)
Add the tamari, rice vinegar, mirin or sherry, water, and coconut sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. In a small cup combine the arrowroot powder with 1/4 cup of cold water. Mix it well and then whisk into the heated sauce. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy. Taste to adjust flavours. If you like a lot of spice, you can add an optional pinch of chill flakes to the sauce.
Add the roasted, battered cauliflower to the sauce along with the 1/2 cup of cashews. Stir well to coat each piece. Serve topped with freshly chopped cilantro and steamed quinoa or rice to soak up the sauce!