Forget chicken: This sweet and spicy vegetarian dish proves once more that cauliflower is king. Originally from Sichuan province but popular in other parts of China, as well as in Chinese-American restaurants, kung pao chicken is traditionally a stir-fry. Here, the cauliflower is deep-fried for a light and crispy texture that pairs perfectly with the dish’s signature chiles and peanuts.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 1 medium jalapeño, thinly sliced
- One 1-inch piece ginger, minced
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into florets (6 to 7 cups)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon roasted and salted peanuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil in a medium bowl.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites and jalapeños and cook, stirring, until the jalapeños are soft and the seeds start to turn golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger and cook, stirring, until soft, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the chili sauce mixture. Bring a boil and let cook until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.
- Fill a large heavy-bottom pot, fitted with a deep fry thermometer, with 2-inches of oil and heat the oil to 350 degrees F over medium-high heat. Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet.
- Whisk together the eggs, cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a medium bowl. Fold in the cauliflower until well coated in the batter. Add one-third of the cauliflower to the oil with a slotted spoon and fry, stirring as needed and adjusting the heat to maintain temperature, until golden, crispy and tender on the inside, about 6 minutes. Remove the cauliflower with the slotted spoon and transfer to the rack. Sprinkle with salt. Fry the remaining cauliflower, in 2 more batches, making sure the temperature of the oil comes back to 350 degrees F between each batch.
- Add the fried cauliflower, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the sauce and gently toss to coat well. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with cilantro, peanuts and the reserved scallion greens.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 195 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 62 mg |
| Sodium | 447 mg |
Reviews
I made this last night. I pan fried instead of deep fried. Only thing I would say is I find the chili sauce a little too sweet. I tried to counteract it with adding some rice wine vinegar, but it was still too sweet for my liking. I like the concept though. Next time I will try air frying and will figure out a way to make it a little less sweet perhaps with a different base.
I had good results with this recipe – I substituted arrowroot for the cornstarch (I stay away from corn products), and avocado oil for the frying, and it produced lightly crispy batter that held up. Although I panicked as it seemed there wasn’t enough coating sauce in the pan at the end, so I doubled it and that was a mistake – too much sauce will make your cauliflower soggy, and is overkill (even though I usually like heavy saucing). I would suggest increasing the coating sauce by 1/2 perhaps but no more. Sauce has excellent flavor!
Great to have “Kung Pou Cauliflower”!
MichaelStice.
This recipe doesn’t work. 3/4 cup of corn starch makes it to thick to stir much less whisk. It wasn’t spicy at all. There wasn’t enough sauce. 2T of veg oil is WAY too much to sautee the onions and peppers in. I’m unclear how this garnered (8) 5 star reviews.
Amazed the kids with this. Made 50% more sauce and it was perfection!
Loved this recipe. I did double the sauce and was glad I did because the sauce was delicious!!
Haven’t tried it but it looks good. Is there a substitute for cilantro? I can’t stand the taste of cilantro!
This recipe is great. my whole family was crazy about it. I’ve been harvesting my cauliflower and have an abundance right now, so I’ve been trying several recipes and this one is a real winner. Family is asking for it again REAL soon
I make the recipe as written except I bake it in a 400° oven after spraying it lightly with Pam. It is tempting to double the sauce recipe as another reviewer suggested because it’s so good, but I think it would be overwhelming. I love this recipe!
This recipe is pretty good. It’s very basic, so I recommend jazzing it up with some extra veggies like bell peppers or zucchini. Also, the proportions for the sauce are very off. I recommend doubling the sauce mixture unless you like a very light coating of sauce. Overall, very good.