Kung pao is a Sichuan dish historically made with kung pao hen because the protein, and the cauliflower model is my swap for the meatless desk. The dish tastes the identical on the tongue, savory, bitter, candy, and frivolously numbing, however the cauliflower is the physique of the dish as a substitute of the service, which is why I roast the florets first as a substitute of stir frying them uncooked.
I remade this recipe from an older batter and bake model after readers advised me the batter didn’t keep crispy as soon as the sauce went on, and after I bumped into the identical downside in my very own kitchen. My new model skips the batter solely. The cauliflower roasts in oil at excessive warmth till the perimeters char, and the roasted peanuts within the sauce do the work of including crunchy distinction that the batter used to do. The sauce can be lighter now, with much less sugar than the unique model, and ending the dish in a wok over the burner provides it the aromatic observe that an all oven prepare dinner couldn’t.
I work the recipe in 3 quick phases, prep, roast, and stir fry. I minimize the cauliflower into small chunk dimension florets, roast them in oil till charred however nonetheless agency, combine the sauce whereas the oven is busy, and end the dish in a wok with the aromatics, the bell pepper and inexperienced onion, the sauce, the roasted cauliflower, and the peanuts. The entire dish takes 1 hour from reducing board to plate, principally due to the knife work and the roast. I extremely advocate you to make it in your personal desk on a weekend and you will notice why I feel my new model was well worth the work.
Substances
I do know the ingredient listing appears to be like lengthy, however don’t let that scare you off. When you’re achieved prepping, you’ll be able to group your components into a couple of bowls.
Cauliflower: One head of cauliflower, cored and minimize into 1.5 inch (4 cm) chunk dimension florets, with vegetable oil and kosher salt.
Sauce: Hen broth, distilled vinegar, Shaoxing wine, mild soy sauce, Chinese language chili oil, darkish soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch. The mixture makes a balanced and layered sauce that’s savory, candy, bitter and spicy, filled with umami.
Wok aromatics: I exploit vegetable oil to prepare dinner floor Sichuan peppercorns, dried Chinese language chili peppers halved with seeds eliminated, minced ginger, minced garlic, and inexperienced onion to create a aromatic base. I additionally tossed in bell pepper and roasted peanuts for crispy and crunchy texture.
The pantry: My important Chinese language components information covers Sichuan peppercorns, darkish soy, and Chinese language chili oil if any of them are new to the cabinet.
The best way to Make
1. Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 450 levels and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Coat the cauliflower: Add the minimize cauliflower to a big bowl with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and the kosher salt. Toss to coat properly.
3. Roast minimize facet down: Switch the cauliflower to the lined baking sheet, arranging the florets minimize facet down with area between every bit. Roast for 20 minutes.
4. Flip and end roasting: Flip the cauliflower and roast for an additional 10 to 12 minutes till the floor is browned and the cauliflower is cooked by means of however nonetheless agency. If the florets look dry, spray slightly further oil on the floor through the second roast.
5. Combine the sauce: Whereas the cauliflower roasts, mix the broth, distilled vinegar, Shaoxing wine, mild soy sauce, chili oil, darkish soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Stir till the sugar and cornstarch dissolve.
6. Bloom the spices: Warmth 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok over medium warmth till shimmering. Add the bottom Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, ginger, and garlic. Prepare dinner till very aromatic, 30 seconds to 1 minute, watching that the spices don’t burn.
7. Prepare dinner the pepper and onion: Add the bell pepper and inexperienced onion. Stir and prepare dinner for 1 to 2 minutes till the pepper is simply tender.
8. Thicken the sauce: Stir the sauce once more to redistribute the cornstarch and pour it into the wok. Prepare dinner and stir till the sauce thickens sufficient to coat the again of a spoon. This may occur in a short time, normally inside 10 seconds or so, in case your wok is scorching.
9. Toss and end: Add the roasted cauliflower and the roasted peanuts to the wok. Toss the whole lot collectively till the sauce coats each floret.
10. Serve: Switch to a big serving plate and serve scorching as a major dish. Examine my how you can serve part under for extra particulars.
My Cooking Suggestions
Reduce the florets small: 1.5 inch chunk dimension florets with minimize facet surfaces which might be barely uneven catch essentially the most char and maintain essentially the most sauce. I break up every floret alongside the stem with a tilted knife after which with my arms on the top, which avoids the cloud of crumbs {that a} clear knife minimize produces.
Prep each ingredient earlier than the wok meets the warmth: The wok step strikes in 60 second intervals as soon as the oil is scorching. I line up the bottom Sichuan peppercorns, the dried chilies, the ginger and garlic, the bell pepper and inexperienced onion, the sauce, and the roasted cauliflower in small bowls earlier than I flip the burner on. Stopping mid stir fry to mince garlic burns the spices.
Halve the dried chilies and shake out the seeds: Entire dried chilies sit on high of the dish and solely launch a gentle background warmth. Halved chilies with the seeds shaken out distribute the warmth by means of the oil and let the chili taste coat the cauliflower with out going aggressively spicy.
Watch the spices, not the clock, within the bloom step: The Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies bloom in 30 to 60 seconds at medium warmth, and so they flip from aromatic to acrid in one other 15 seconds. I drop the ginger and garlic within the second the spices scent heat and toasty, which stops the spice prepare dinner and begins the fragrant prepare dinner.
Grind the Sichuan peppercorns coarse: A rough grind delivers the numbing observe in small nice bursts as I eat, whereas a wonderful grind coats each chunk and it may be an excessive amount of. I floor my Sichuan peppercorns coarsely in a spice grinder. You may also use a mortar and pestle to floor it.
Cool the cauliflower briefly earlier than tossing if not serving immediately: If the dish goes to take a seat for quite a lot of minutes earlier than serving, I let the roasted cauliflower cool barely earlier than it meets the sauce. Steaming scorching cauliflower softens sooner as soon as it sits within the sauce.
The best way to Serve
After making this Kung Pao cauliflower recipe many instances, my favourite approach to serve it’s as a major dish with a bowl of steamed jasmine rice and a facet of child bok choy stir-fry for one thing inexperienced. For a vegetarian dinner, I normally go away it at that, or I serve it as one in all two mains alongside a plate of eggplant with tomato (西红柿炒茄子).
For a much bigger Sichuan desk when pals come over, I open with genuine scorching and bitter soup, place my simple Chinese language cucumber salad for a chilly crunch, and serve the kung pao cauliflower with a bowl of egg fried rice for the carb. The numbing chili within the cauliflower performs towards the bitter within the soup and the cool acid within the cucumber, which retains the meal balanced as a substitute of overly spicy.
Regularly Requested Questions
Why does my cauliflower not char within the oven?
The two commonest causes are usually not sufficient oil on the cauliflower and crowding on the baking sheet. The cauliflower must be coated, not damp, and every floret wants room round it for steam to flee. I normally use a smaller head of cauliflower so the florets don’t pile up within the sheet pan. If utilizing a much bigger cauliflower, think about roasting them in two sheet pans.
How do I make this dish vegetarian or vegan?
I swap the hen broth for vegetable broth within the sauce, which is the one change the recipe must learn totally vegetarian. For a vegan model, I additionally verify the chili oil label since some manufacturers embrace non-vegan components within the seasonings.
The best way to retailer leftovers?
Kung pao cauliflower retains in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3 days, and I reheat it in a scorching dry skillet for two to three minutes to get better a number of the char on the cauliflower. The microwave softens the feel, so the skillet reheat is what brings yesterday’s dish closest to recent. I don’t freeze cooked kung pao cauliflower as a result of the cauliflower turns watery and the sauce loses its physique as soon as thawed.
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This kung pao cauliflower (宫保菜花) is my vegetarian model of the Sichuan traditional, made with cauliflower roasted in oil till charred and tossed in a wok with Sichuan peppercorns, dried Chinese language chilies, recent ginger and garlic, bell pepper, inexperienced onion, and roasted peanuts in a balanced savory candy sauce.
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Add the cauliflower into an enormous bowl. Add the two tablespoons of oil and salt. Toss to coat properly. Switch to the lined baking sheet, prepare the cauliflower to face the minimize facet down. Roast for 20 minutes. Flip the cauliflower. Hold roasting for an additional 10 to 12 minutes till the cauliflower is totally cooked by means of and the floor has browned. If the cauliflower appears to be like dry throughout roasting, you’ll be able to add further oil spray to maintain the cauliflower roasting properly.
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Combine all of the sauce components in a medium bowl.
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When the cauliflower is roasted, take away the baking sheet from the oven. Switch the cauliflowers into an enormous plate.
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Warmth the 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium warmth till shimmering. Add the bottom Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili peppers, ginger, and garlic. Prepare dinner till very aromatic, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
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Add the pepper and inexperienced onion. Stir and prepare dinner for 1 minute, or as much as 2 minutes when you want the pepper to style extra tender.
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Stir the sauce once more till the cornstarch is dissolved utterly, pour into the skillet. Prepare dinner and stir till the sauce thickens.
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Add again the cauliflower and peanuts. Toss the whole lot collectively till combined properly. Switch to a big serving plate and serve scorching.
Ingredient Substitution Information
- It’s essential to chop the cauliflower to the appropriate dimension to make sure even roasting and browning. See the weblog publish above to see how you can minimize the cauliflower.
- It’s essential to depart some area between the cauliflower florets, so the cauliflower will launch steam and switch crispy as soon as baked. In case your baking tray doesn’t have sufficient area, bake the remaining in a separate tray. You may bake each trays on the similar time by place the smaller tray on a unique rack.
- For those who’re not serving the dish instantly, let the cauliflower cool off for a bit earlier than tossing within the sauce. The cauliflower will keep crispy higher this fashion.
Serving: 1serving, Energy: 426kcal, Carbohydrates: 25.3g, Protein: 9.2g, Fats: 37.1g, Saturated Fats: 5.8g, Sodium: 941mg, Potassium: 718mg, Fiber: 6.1g, Sugar: 12.6g, Calcium: 71mg, Iron: 2mg
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