Name: Kung Pao Cauliflower (Vegan)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided; 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets; 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips; 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips; 1 large shallot, thinly sliced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 4 scallions, chopped; ¼ cup chopped peanuts; Salt and pepper, to taste; ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon sambal oelek; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper; 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger; ¼ cup vegetable stock; 3 teaspoons cornstarch

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This vegan Kung Pao Cauliflower is a quick and easy weeknight meal! A spicy, savory homemade sauce comes together in just minutes and makes a world of difference in this dish. This recipe is from my cookbook The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook.

When I’m craving Chinese take-out, I like to make this healthier, meatless version of Kung Pao Cauliflower at home.

Confession: I’m not really someone that goes crazy over cauliflower. I don’t try to turn it into tacos, pizza, bread, or desserts (no, no). But I do love it as rice, mashed potatoes, or used in tasty vegetarian dishes. And it works really well for Kung Pao.

This easy vegan dish comes together in about 30 minutes from start to finish, making it even quicker than take-out in most cases. If you have one, a wok or piping hot cast iron skillet works perfectly for this Cauliflower Kung Pao.

This recipe uses two ingredients you may not be familiar with—sambal oelek (a spicy chili paste) and lemony Sichuan pepper. Both of these can likely be found at your local supermarket or Amazon (see below), and bring this Kung Pao sauce to life. These ingredients are also what makes this dish spicy, so feel free to alter the heat to your taste.

Sambal oelek is a spicy chili paste made from chili peppers, vinegar, and salt. Fragrant Sichuan pepper, commonly used in Chinese cuisine, possesses a numbing heat.

Those two ingredients, along with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, fresh ginger, and vegetable stock compose the sauce for the Kung Pao Cauliflower.

Give me an ice cold Tsingtao and this Cauliflower Kung Pao and I’m set! Who needs take-out?

The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook is available on May 21st on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, IndieBound, and more! For the next generation of home cooks, The Modern Cast Iron Cookbook serves up fresh and healthy recipes that reinvent the possibilities of cast iron cooking. Learn more here!

I hope that you make and enjoy this Kung Pao Cauliflower! Have you ever tried creating your favorite take-out dishes at home? How about making them meatless? Let us know in the comments below!

Ground Sichuan Pepper | Sambal Oelek Chili Paste | Toasted Sesame Oil | Organic Rice Vinegar

This post contains affiliate links and are always products I use in my own kitchen & highly recommend!

Kung Pao Cauliflower (Vegan)

★★★★★ 5 from 11 reviews

Author: Tiffany
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

For the cauliflower

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions, chopped
¼ cup chopped peanuts
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the sauce

⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sambal oelek
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
¼ cup vegetable stock
3 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions

Heat a 12” cast iron skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil and the cauliflower florets. Arrange the cauliflower in one even layer and try not to overcrowd the pan. You can do this in two batches, if needed.
Cook the cauliflower, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp-tender. Season with sea salt and pepper. Remove the cauliflower and set aside.
Add the other tablespoon of oil and cook the bell peppers and shallot in the hot skillet until crisp-tender. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Make the sauce while the vegetables are cooking by combining the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sambal oelek, sesame oil, brown sugar, Sichuan pepper, and fresh ginger. Stir together the vegetable stock with the cornstarch until dissolved and add to the sauce. Whisk until incorporated.
Pour the sauce into the pan with the peppers and let simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir the cauliflower into the pan and toss everything to evenly coat with the sauce.
Serve over steamed white rice with chopped scallions and peanuts on top.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving, without rice
Calories: 250
Sugar: 13g
Sodium: 1432mg
Fat: 15.5g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Carbohydrates: 25.1g
Fiber: 5.2g
Protein: 8g
Cholesterol: 0mg

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Kung Pao Cauliflower (Vegan)