Kung Pao Cauliflower, or My New Favorite Dinner!
I’ll do almost anything to convince you to make kung pao cauliflower today.
Seriously if there is one other thing I can’t stop eating right now (I’m looking at you, green bean salad), it’s THIS.
I always find myself in limbo this time of year. I still love that it’s summer, that we can swim and enjoy all the incredible tomatoes and peaches and grill all the things.
And at the same time, I start to crave fall. I become so excited for what’s to come – the recipes, the comfort food, the scents, the sounds, everything.
Everywhere we go, whether it’s the grocery store or Target or the mall or farmer’s markets – it’s all in limbo. This past weekend, all of the apples were overflowing at our local farm and the peaches are dwindling.
It’s a time of year where I’m caught between wanting to make an easy sheet pan dinner and making the best tomato panzanella. Once requires turning on the oven and the other just requires lots of salt and homemade dressing!
Like this. This felt more like a cooler-weather recipe to me, but I couldn’t even WAIT to make it.
I saw a bon appetit recipe for kung pao cauliflower a few weeks ago and couldn’t get it out of my head. It seemed a little complicated for what I wanted at the time. So I made it all work on a sheet pan with a quick sauce. Tons of flavor. We are talking TONS.
And I just love that you could make the cauliflower as a side dish to something else, or you could make the cauliflower with rice and serve it like that.
I opt for the latter. Eddie likes it as a side dish to something else.
Of course!
When I first went to PF Changs as a kid, their kung pao shrimp and scallops were my go-to. I still love that meal.
It’s crazy, because I never had an affinity for spicy food but I reeeeeally adore that dish. And it’s stuck.
Kung pao cauliflower just SOUNDS like something I’d like to eat everyday.
This is SO flavorful. It’s crunchy and crisp. But it’s sweet and saucy. But it’s kind of spicy. And then it’s even good cold.
It’s HEAVEN.
Kung Pao Cauliflower
Kung Pao Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets (about 3 to 4 cups)
- olive oil spray
- sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 handful of chiles de arbol
- ⅓ cup peanuts, chopped
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- jasmine rice, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the cauliflower on a nonstick baking sheet and spritz it with olive oil. Sprinkle it with a pinch of salt freshly ground pepper. Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes, until just slightly crisp.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin, sherry vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, garlic and ginger. You may need to whisk a few times to get rid of any cornstarch lumps.
- After 15 minutes, pull the cauliflower out. Add the chiles and pour the sauce all over the cauliflower. Toss well to coat all the cauliflower. Return the pan to the oven. Roast for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring and tossing the cauliflower ever 5 to 10 minutes. This will depend on your oven - you just don’t want the sauce to burn in the corners, but you want to give it enough time to thicken up between tossings.
- When the cauliflower is roasted and sauce, remove the pan from the oven. Cover it with the green onions and peanuts. Serve immediately as a side or on top of jasmine rice!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Really, just grab a fork and eat it right off the pan.
73 Comments on “Kung Pao Cauliflower, or My New Favorite Dinner!”
Interesting recipe! Thank you I will try it! What is the hoisin sauce substitute?
i substituted hoisin sauce with 1 tbs white miso and it was delicious!
made it this evening and it was delicious, we really enjoyed it!
i had all ingredients except hoisin sauce so substituted with 1 tbs of white miso. quick and easy recipe, glad to have found a new regular. thank you for sharing!
Tried it out today. Love the flavors
Made this verbatim and it was so good and so easy. Will definitely make again – thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Wow! Seriously good and super easy to make.
Delicious! Sooo easy and quick to put together. My not so keen meatless eater actually liked it I did add some heat to the sauce for some flare .
I have rice vinegar, Balsamic and Red wine vinegar. Can any of these work instead of the sherry vinegar?
Thanks!
I used rice vinegar and a half tablespoon of sherry wine because that’s all I had on hand. I also didn’t have the chilis so I added a bit of sriracha to the sauce and it was really good!
Very good…Thank you
Turned out delicious! my husband and I, both of vegans, enjoyed it immensely. I made it as directed. Next time I will double it so we have enough for four servings as a main dish. We served it over Jasmine rice, as suggested. Thanks for the simple, tasty vegan recipe!
(Personal note. Not for publication.)
Dear Jessica:
Beyond the fun of traveling with my love, Beate my wife, I’ve three hobbies: Tropical plants, cooking and writing! For many years I wrote a weekly column entitled Planting Roots in Mexico regarding the first two, until I realized the day was only so long and some projects might just have to be shelved!
My three book series The Civilized Jungle and second set with the same number of volumes, The Medicinal Jungle have fared quite well. (Should you wish, feel free to read about them on Amazon Books.)
My new project, The Edible Jungle, focuses on cooking – nine volumes of 150 pages each – featuring unique, savory (and sometimes, simply, down home), international recipes. The first three volumes have been researched and drafted, with my associate presently working on the layout and design. The origin of all of these commenced in our back yard – Ola Brisa Gardens – a not-for-profit . . . and that’s certainly a fact! – multi-terraced botanical experience through which I give daily, 2 ½ hour tours. (TripAdvisor graciously ranks us as the Number One place to visit in this area of Mexico – Manzanillo.)
It was from my visitor’s/guest’s repeated queries regarding the edibility of some of my plants that the idea for this new cookbook series arose. It will feature some of my own recipes – most of these oriental or Mexican having spent nearly 25 years in those locales – a few choice ones from friends who also enjoy cooking and then some from the real “Masters” – like yourself!
Thus my request. May I please include your great recipe for “Kung Pao Cauliflower” in one or another of the nine book set, The Edible Jungle? I assure you that full attribution, reference to your site, base recipes and whatever else you wish will be included in the bibliography.
Thank you very much.
Tommy Clarkson
PS: Come down for a fun visit with us. You all willlove it here!’
This is delicious! Thank you for a great recipe. I put all of the sauce ingredients into a half pint mason jar, put the lid on and shook it well for half a minute. Easier for me than wisking :)
This really was delicious! later in the week I tried a Kung Pao chicken recipe and your sauce was so much better!
So yummy! I have added chicken and cabbage to roast in oven too – doubling sauce – 3rd or 4 time making this dish!
I didn’t have fresh ginger or green onions, but otherwise loved this flavor profile and easy cooking method. Will make sure I have those on hand for next time, we loved it!
As advertised!! I followed the recipe except for the chilies arbol (didn’t have any) and drizzled some chili crisp over my portion. It was sublime.
Delicious! I subbed apple cider vinegar for the sherry vinegar and it turned out great!! I also roasted the cauliflower for 30 min and then finished it with the sauce in a non stick pan, as I don’t have a big enough non stick sheet pan. It came together in a few minutes that way. highly recommend!
Wow – this recipe is a keeper! We had it as a meal – when I told my spouse that we were having Kung Pao Cauliflower, he asked why. He is not a cooked veggie guy. I knew that I would love it but so did he. Looking forward to making it again. BTW – I couldn’t find fresh peppers so I used dried chilli peppers. I just suggested we not eat them.
Delicious flavor, nice texture and easy to prepare. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I think it could change someone’s opinion about cauliflower.
I substituted pepper flakes instead of whole peppers.
So good I ate the whole head of cauliflower in one sitting! this one’s a keeper