Dry Pot Cauliflower

5 from 1 vote

Dry Pot Cauliflower is a classic Sichuan dish. The star is cauliflower, brought to life by tons of garlic, chili peppers, and flavourful pork belly slices.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: servings

Calories: 264kcal

Author: Kelly (Garlic All Day)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
3 ounces fatty pork belly or Chinese lap cheong sausage sliced very thin
1 head garlic around 10 to 12 cloves, peeled and left as whole cloves
1 inch thinly sliced ginger
5 fresh or dried red chile peppers see Note 1
1 pound cauliflower florets approx 1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt see Note 2
¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
¼ cup water or chicken stock
2 diced scallions

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add 3 ounces fatty pork belly or Chinese lap cheong sausage and cook until they turn opaque and start releasing their oils.
Turn heat up to high and add 1 head garlic, 1 inch thinly sliced ginger, and 5 fresh or dried red chile peppers. Stir fry briefly, just until aromatic.
Add 1 pound cauliflower florets and stir fry for a few more minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper, and ¼ cup water or chicken stock to make the sauce mixture. Drizzle this mixture over the cauliflower and cover for a few minutes to let the cauliflower steam. Then uncover and continue to cook until most of the moisture has evaporated.
Remove from heat and sprinkle with 2 diced scallions before serving.

Notes

Chili Peppers: The traditional Chinese chili pepper is called Tien Tsin pepper. But Thai bird’s eye peppers and aji amarillo peppers are a decent substitute. Leave them whole for a very mildly spicy flavour, or slice them in half to infuse the oil with more spiciness.
Salt: Start with ¼ teaspoon salt. If using Chinese sausage (lap cheong), which is already quite salty, this is likely all you need. If using pork belly, you’ll want to add a bit more salt to taste.

Nutrition