Artificial Food Coloring Free Crispy Cauliflower Manchurian
Crispy, saucy, and packed with bold Indo-Chinese flavor, this cauliflower dish delivers everything you love about a takeout-style Manchurian without a single synthetic dye or questionable additive in sight. The golden batter comes from cassava flour, arrowroot starch, and ground turmeric ā real ingredients that create a genuinely crispy coating with zero need for artificial color to make it look appetizing. That warm amber hue is all turmeric doing its thing, and it's stunning on the plate. The sauce is built from coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, honey, fresh garlic, and ginger, so every bit of that glossy, sticky coating is clean and deeply flavorful. Store-bought versions of this dish ā or even restaurant takes ā often rely on food dyes to achieve that vivid color, which makes cooking it yourself such a satisfying workaround. Carrot matchsticks and scallions add crunch and freshness, and the whole skillet comes together in a way that feels genuinely special. Serve it immediately so the cauliflower stays crispy and the sauce stays glossy ā this one disappears fast.
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Learn more āIngredients
4 servings
For the battered cauliflower
- 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 lb), cut into 1 Ā½-inch florets
- ā cup cassava flour
- 3 tbsp arrowroot starch
- Ā½ tsp fine sea salt
- Ā½ tsp ground turmeric
- Ā½ tsp ground ginger
- ā cup water
- 3 tbsp coconut oil, for frying
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced, dark green tops reserved for garnish
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
- 1 medium carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
For serving
- scallion dark green tops, thinly sliced (optional)
- fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, honey, 1 tsp arrowroot starch, and grated fresh ginger until the starch is fully dissolved. Set aside.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, 3 tbsp arrowroot starch, salt, turmeric, and ground ginger. Add the water and stir until a thick, smooth batter forms ā it should cling to the back of a spoon without dripping off immediately. Add the cauliflower florets and toss until each piece is evenly coated.
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