Cauliflower Kung Pao
Pow! ….or more like Cauliflower Kung Pao. This recipe is a flavor explosion for your palette. No matter where you order this, Kung Pao sauce has multiple layers of flavors with spices, sugars, soy sauce, and vinegars all in a perfect balanced dance with one another. It came into my head the other day when I was at the grocery mart and almost bought a store bought Kung Pao sauce. I looked at the ingredients and they where full of high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and things I couldn’t pronounce. There had to be another way, so I went straight home and created this dish asap.
Immediately as I was building this sauce I knew this was going to be an amazing recipe. I used fresh cauliflower from the farmers market, cashews instead of peanuts, and shallot instead of onion, all which gave this traditional dish a unique texture. Also, the beauty of making this sauce homemade is you can control the sweetness, the spiciness, and the saltiness. I enjoyed mine with an equal balance of everything except spiciness which I kept on the lower side, but by all means if you like the heat, then crank it up.
This cauliflower kung pao makes a great addition to a variety of Chinese dishes, or on top of your favorite rice, or honestly all by itself! If you are meal prepping you can make the sauce and the cauliflower and keep them separate until the day of when you decide to heat them up and enjoy it.
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Serves 2-3 people - (Enjoy with Brown Rice or Chow Mein)
The Goods:
1 medium cauliflower, stem removed and cut into large florets
1/3 cup gluten free panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup arrowroot powder or tapioca flour
1/3 cup filtered water
1 tsp Big Tree Farms coconut aminos
1 tsp liquid aminos
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sriracha hot sauce
For the sauce:
1 tbsp sesame oil
5-8 whole dried arbol chilis
1 shallot, diced
1/4 cup cashews, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch chunk ginger, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp liquid aminos
2 tbsp Big Tree Farms coconut aminos
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp Big Tree Farms coconut brown sugar
3/4 cup filtered water
Slurry (1 tbsp tapioca flour + 1/4 cup water)
The Method:
Preheat oven to 425. In a large mixing bowl add panko, arrowroot powder, water, coconut aminos, liquid aminos, sesame oil, hot sauce, and whisk until evenly mixed. Throw in cauliflower florets and gently toss until fully coated.
Place prepped cauliflower onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 425 until fork tender. If making rice, this would be the time to get it going.
As the cauliflower bakes, grab a large sauté pan for the sauce. Heat with sesame oil on medium high. Throw in arbol chilis and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the chilis become fragrant and softer.
Add in shallot, cashews, garlic, ginger, green onions, pinch of salt, and sauté for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently.
Right as everything is starting to brown and get crispy, add liquid aminos, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, and water. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then add slurry.
Lower heat to medium and saute for 5-8 minutes. Then cover and remove from heat until the cauliflower is done.
Once cauliflower is fork tender, remove from oven and add straight into the sauce. Reheat saute pan for 1-2 minutes to get sauce warm again.
Grab your serving plates and with tongs place Kung Pao Cauliflower florets onto a scoop of favorite rice, chow mein, or by itself! Optional to garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately. (FYI- Arbol chilis are for flavor, not to eat)
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