Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (2024)

· 8 Comments

My 117th recipe, "Kung Pao Cauliflower", an exquisitedish from the Chinese cuisine featuring my favorite cauliflower. There are so many great things I have learnt and enjoyed since starting this blog. One such thing is the social media network, "Pinterest". Pinterest is something which I had never heard of prior to starting this blog.

But once I learnt that it is a very important traffic source for many food blogs, I too jumped onto it. I am glad that I did so. With so many lovely people using it, my recipes get good visibility and importantly more traffic to my site. And even better is the numerous delicious recipes I get to see on Pinterest from different cuisines, most of which I never even knew existed. Social media has certainly made the world a small place.

This Kung Pao Cauliflower is one such recipe which I found on pinterest. While I knew that a dish by the name Kung Pao chicken exists, I never knew how it would look or taste. Thanks to Miryam, who made my life easy with a well explained recipe. When I made it today, RK absolutely loved it and rated it among one of the best foods he has ever tasted. It was sweet, saucy, salty, spicy and bowl licking good 😉 This recipe was adapted from here.

Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (1)

Kung Pao Cauliflower

Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (2)

Kung Pao Cauliflower

Revathi Palani

Kung Pao Cauliflower is a easy to make and extremely flavorful Chinese dish made with cauliflower, loaded with Asian sauce and served with noodles/rice.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 9 minutes mins

Cook Time 16 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

For Noodles

  • Regular Noodles - 100 gms (I used 3 pieces from a 12 piece packet of Inchin's Bamboo Garden's Vegan Noodles)
  • Water - 2 Cups (Adjust as needed to cook the noodles)
  • Salt - ½ tsp
  • Sesame Oil - ½ tsp

For Sauce

  • Distilled white vinegar - 1 Tbsp
  • Tomato ketchup - 1 Tbsp
  • Soy Sauce - 2 Tbsp
  • Asian hot sauce - ½ Tbsp
  • Sugar - 1 Tbsp
  • Salt - ¼ tsp (adjust as needed)
  • Corn starch - 1 ½ tsp
  • Water - 2 Tbsp

Ingredients

  • Sesame / Olive Oil - 2 Tbsp
  • Cauliflower - ½ Large (Cut into small florets)
  • Red bell pepper - ½ (diced)
  • Green bell pepper - ½ (diced)
  • Ginger - ½ inch cube (minced)
  • Garlic - 3 cloves (minced)
  • Spring Onion - 3 (chopped, white and green part separated)
  • Cashews - 10
  • Dry Red pepper flakes - ½ tsp

Instructions

  • First let us cook the noodles. Heat required quantity of water along with ½ tsp salt. Add the noodles and cook until the noodle is fully done. Turn off the flame and drain the water completely from the noodles. Add about ½ tsp of sesame oil to the noodles and toss well until the noodles are coated. This will help the noodles from not sticking to each other.

    Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (3)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (4)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (5)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (6)
  • While the noodles is cooking, we can prepare the sauce. Add all items given under "For sauce" into a small bowl and mix well until combined. Keep aside.

    Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (7)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (8)
  • Now, chop all the required veggies and keep aside. Then heat a large pan / wok with oil in medium flame, add the cauliflower and saute for 5 mins until they are half cooked. Transfer the cauliflower to a separate plate.

    Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (9)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (10)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (11)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (12)
  • To the same pan, add the bell peppers and saute for 3 mins until their skins start to blister a little. Now, add the cauliflower back to the pan and continue to saute for a further 5 mins until the cauliflower is almost done.

    Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (13)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (14)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (15)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (16)
  • Now, add the ginger, garlic, white part of spring onion, cashews, red pepper flakes and saute for 2 more mins. Take care not to break the veggies.

    Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (17)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (18)
  • Finally, add the prepared sauce, turn the flame to high and saute for about 1 min until the sauce thickens and coats the veggies. Turn off the flame.

    Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (19)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (20)
  • Garnish with green portion of spring onion.

    Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (21)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (22)
  • Serve hot along with the noodles.

    Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (23)Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (24)

Notes | FAQ

- I used vegetarian noodles along with the cauliflower. You can use any other type of noodle or brown/white rice.

- I like my veggies crunchy and saucy. In case you need your veggies more soft and dry, adjust the cooking time accordingly.

- I did not have dry red chilli flakes, so could not add. But would highly recommend adding it for the extra spiciness.

- The original recipe calls for adding Rice wine vinegar. Since I did not have it in hand, I substituted it with white distilled vinegar. It still tasted good.

- Watch out while adding the salt to the sauce. Since you are already adding soy sauce as well, you can adjust the salt quantity as per your taste.

Adapted from Eat Good 4 Life

« Milagu Kuzhambu | South Indian Pepper Gravy

Maanga Sadam (Raw Mango Rice) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Priti says

    I tried a few of you recipes. All are very nice. Thank you for such an easyway to cook n delicious recipes.

    Reply

    • revifood says

      Thanks Priti for such lovely comments 🙂

      Reply

« Older Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Kung Pao Cauliflower | Easy Asian Inspired recipe | Chinese Takeout Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in PF Chang's kung pao cauliflower? ›

Tempura Battered Cauliflower (Cauliflower, Water, Wheat Flour, Corn Flour, Sunflower Oil, Less than 2% of: Wheat Starch, Salt, Corn Starch, Leavening [Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda], Dextrose, Spice, Yeast, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavor), Sauce (Water, Sugar, Vinegar, Black Soybean Paste [Water, Salted Black ...

What is kung pao sauce made of? ›

Kung pao sauce has two layers of flavor, one is from spices and the other one is from a balance of soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Firstly, we fry garlic, ginger, and scallion with dried red pepper. This taste is called “胡辣味”, which means fried chili pepper taste.

What is the difference between Chinese cauliflower and regular cauliflower? ›

Compared to regular cauliflower, Chinese cauliflower has a longer stem, less dense florets, and a chewier texture. It is similar to how broccolini is, compared to broccoli. You can find Chinese cauliflower at Chinese grocery stores and at big Asian markets like H Mart or Ranch 99.

How do you cook Trader Joe's tempura cauliflower in the oven? ›

Preheat oven to 450 and drop the packet of their Kung Pao Sauce in a bowl of hot water to defrost. Cut the frozen cauliflower into smaller bite-sized pieces (it makes a big difference with texture and sauce vs cauliflower ratio). Place cauliflower in one layer on a lightly greased baking sheet, bake for 20-25 minutes.

What's in PF Chang's kung pao sauce? ›

Spicy yet balanced, our Kung Pao Sauce is anything but ordinary thanks to bold ingredients like fermented chili bean sauce and chili flakes, which are complemented with sweet and tangy flavors from apple juice concentrate and vinegar.

What is the difference between Szechuan and kung bao? ›

Sichuan (Szechuan) is a province with population of 81 million and Gong Bao (Kung Pao) is a title of officer in Qing Dynasty. The only link between the two is a famous Sichuan cuisine called 宮保雞丁. It was said the dish was named after the title of an officer, 丁寶楨 whose title was 宮保.

What is the difference between General Tso and kung pao sauce? ›

Kung pao chicken and General Tso's chicken are similar in that they are both chicken-based dishes with a hint of chili, but the primary difference is that latter is deep-fried and coated with a syrupy sweet and sour sauce, and the former is coated with a gentle, more balanced sauce.

What does kung pao mean in Chinese food? ›

So, what's the actual meaning of Kung Pao? Look it up in a Chinese-English dictionary, and you'll see it means “spicy diced chicken.” But there's more to it. Let's break down the characters (宫保鸡丁): 宫 (gōng) means palace. 保 (bǎo) means to protect or safeguard.

What does Chinese kung po taste like? ›

Our classic kung pao recipe brings together the warmth of chilli and ginger, the sweetness of honey and sherry, the saltiness of soy sauce, the sourness of vinegar, the nuttyness of peanuts and peanut oil, plus plenty of other flavourful ingredients that come together in delicious harmony.

What part of cauliflower is not edible? ›

Every part of a cauliflower is edible, even the tough outer skin. However, we do recommend peeling this part before cooking as it's a bit tough to chew.

What color cauliflower is healthiest? ›

Purple. Purple cauliflower is the healthiest option, with numerous advantages. The purple hue is due to the antioxidants called anthocyanins. These are the pigments present in various other plants and plant-based products, including red cabbage and red wine.

Which is healthier cauliflower or rice? ›

However, rice can be high in calories and carbohydrates, meaning it will fill you up without providing you with many additional nutrients. Substituting cauliflower rice for white rice is a great way to get more antioxidants while reducing calories and carbohydrates in order to save room for other nutrient dense foods.

Why do you soak cauliflower before cooking? ›

This process – which should last 10-20 minutes - destroys several microbes and large parasites. As cauliflower is highly susceptible to microbial attacks, it should be washed once again. This time, boil some water and put the cauliflower florets in it. Keep for five minutes and remove from the hot water.

Why do you boil cauliflower before cooking? ›

Boiling cauliflower makes for a quick side, but boiling it in chicken stock or other soup base is a great way to tenderize the vegetable while you're preparing it for a recipe.

Is Chinese cauliflower good for you? ›

Asian Buffalo Cauliflower is crave-able and healthy. As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, cauliflower contains high levels of a group of phytochemicals called glucosinolates which are broken down into compounds called Isothioyanates. Isothioyanates are powerfully anti-inflammatory and detoxifying.

What is cauli rice made of? ›

Cauliflower rice is finely chopped (either by hand or pulsed in a food processor) raw cauliflower that's small enough to look like grains of rice. It's used as a low-carb substitute for grains like couscous or rice. It's often eaten as a side dish with some dressing or herbs for flavour.

Does PF Chang's use MSG in their food? ›

I started at P.F. Chang's in 2005 as a server and left in 2009 as a Key Manager and can tell you that no, they don't and are very proud of it.

How many calories are in kung pao cauliflower? ›

Good Food Made Simple
Nutrition Facts
For a Serving Size of 1 package (276g)
How many calories are in Cauliflower Kung Pao? Amount of calories in Cauliflower Kung Pao: Calories 300Calories from Fat 72 (24%)
% Daily Value *
How much fat is in Cauliflower Kung Pao? Amount of fat in Cauliflower Kung Pao: Total Fat 8g-
15 more rows

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Jonah Leffler

Last Updated:

Views: 6549

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (45 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jonah Leffler

Birthday: 1997-10-27

Address: 8987 Kieth Ports, Luettgenland, CT 54657-9808

Phone: +2611128251586

Job: Mining Supervisor

Hobby: Worldbuilding, Electronics, Amateur radio, Skiing, Cycling, Jogging, Taxidermy

Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.