Stir-fried cauliflower with Sichuan pepper
Frying the cauliflower intensifies the flavour, so try to get it nicely browned in parts. There's no need to steam it first.
Ingredients
1 cup vegetable oil
1 bunch fioretto cauliflower (or 1 head cauliflower), separated into florets
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 slices of ginger, bruised
1 tbsp Sichuan pepper
1 small red capsicum, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
pinch of sugar
½ tsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup of water
steamed rice, to serve
Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat and add the cauliflower florets. Fry for about 8 minutes, stirring regularly, until the cauliflower is well browned. Remove from the wok and drain.
2. Remove all but about 2 tbsp of oil from the wok and add the garlic, ginger and Sichuan pepper. Season with salt and toss until the garlic starts to brown. Add the capsicum and spring onion and toss until the capsicum is softened. Return the cauliflower to the wok and add the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, a good pinch of sugar and a little more salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required. Drizzle in a little of the cornstarch mixture while shaking the wok to thicken any liquids, then remove to a serving plate and serve with steamed rice.
Adam's tip: Cauliflower is a fabulous vegetable to stir-fry. The fioretto variety is longer stemmed, so has a slightly better shape for stir-frying, but you can just as easily use ordinary cauliflower.
Also try: Adam Liaw's salt and pepper tofu
Find more of Adam Liaw's recipes in the Good Food New Classics cookbook.
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Adam Liaw is a cookbook author and food writer, co-host of Good Food Kitchen and former MasterChef winner.
