When we first arrived here, we immediately set to trying as many restaurants as we could. Many of the Hunan, Sichuan, and “jack-of-all-trades” restaurants (homestyle cooking with no exclusive regional cuisine) feature this “dry pot” (gan guo) dish of cauliflower, garlic, ginger, chilies, and fatty pork belly. It’s a delicious dish that we can’t resist, no matter how many times we’ve had it. The slightly crispy, saucy, spicy cauliflower and pork are so good, you could just order that and a bowl of rice and be very very happy. The one downside to the dish, however, is that it’s a bit oily. In order to really get that crispiness, Chinese chefs will use high heat and lots of oil. We came up with this method of roasting the cauliflower in the oven first, and then stir-frying, to achieve a similar effect with less oil. Give this roasted cauliflower stir-fry try and you’ll know exactly what I mean!
Recipe Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the pork with the shaoxing wine or dry sherry, sesame oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread out the cauliflower in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and roast until crisp and golden, about 20 minutes. Stir the cauliflower halfway through baking.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok over medium heat. Add the garlic, dried red chilies, and ginger, and cook for about 2 minutes, making sure they don’t burn. Turn up the heat to high, add the pork, and cook until browned. Stir in the cauliflower (keep the heat on high), and cook for a minute.
Add the scallions, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, and the light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Season with additional salt if needed. Cover the lid and bring everything to a simmer. Uncover, give everything another stir, and you’re ready to plate.
Serve this roasted cauliflower stir-fry over rice!
