Baked Cauliflower Manchurian

Heat the oven to 400° and lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

To make the batter, whisk the wheat flour and ground flaxseed together in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the almond milk and one-fourth of the soy sauce until smooth. Let stand for about 10 minutes. If needed, add a splash more milk if the batter is too thick to coat the cauliflower evenly.

In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, half of the black pepper, and the cayenne.

Dip each cauliflower floret in the batter, letting excess drip off, then roll in the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Arrange on the prepared sheet and mist lightly with cooking spray. Bake until fork-tender and lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

To make the Manchurian gravy, heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallion whites, garlic, ginger, celery, and serrano, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the broth, remaining soy sauce, tomato paste, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sriracha, and the remaining black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, adding more broth if needed for consistency.

Stir the water and cornstarch together, then whisk into the gravy and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in the scallion greens and cilantro. Serve the baked cauliflower topped with the hot gravy.