Stir-frying Chinese cauliflower with douchi (fermented black soybeans), aromatics, and Chinese black vinegar is a perfect way to highlight the flavor and crispiness of this long-legged cauliflower variety.
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Background of Chinese Cauliflower with Douchi
Chinese cauliflower (you ji cai hua有机菜花) tastes nutty with a hint of sweetness and stays pleasantly crisp even after cooking. We frequently stir-fry Chinese cauliflower or boil it in Sichuan Hot Pot.
The Chinese cauliflower with douchi (Fermented Black Soybeans) recipe we present here pulls from different cauliflower dishes that we love to cook and order at Chinese restaurants, such as Sichuan dry pot cauliflower.
For this dish, we decide to add Sichuan fermented black soybeans to give it a deep umami flavor and we use Chinese black vinegar (Baoning or Zhenjiang) instead of soy sauce. The Mala Market describes these beans as “umami bombs”!
Bonus, once you master this recipe there are numerous other variations you can try!
Cauliflower Tips
Chinese cauliflower is typically not found in mainstream Western grocery stores in the U.S., although I recently started seeing it precut at Trader Joe's, but it was marketed as baby cauliflower. If you can’t find this variety, feel free to use any cauliflower variety you can find. Before moving to the Bay Area, we always used “regular” cauliflower and the dish still tastes great!
Some people like to blanch the cauliflower before cooking. If you are cooking this dish in a piping hot wok then we do not find this step necessary, and we prefer our cauliflower slightly crispy. If your stovetop/pan will not allow you to cook at high temperatures, or if you prefer softer cauliflower, you can blanch the cut cauliflower in boiling water for 30 seconds and then drain before proceeding.
Read our article about Chinese cauliflower to learn more about this unique variety.
Ingredients
- Chinese cauliflower (other varieties will still taste yummy if you don’t have access to Chinese cauliflower)
- Chinese black vinegar (Baoning or Zhenjiang preferred)
- Fresh ginger slices
- Garlic cloves
- Sichuan dried red chili peppers – if you prefer mild spicy varieties try erjingtao and for a hotter variety use xiao mi la chilies.
- Sichuan peppercorns (hua jiao)
- Douchi (fermented black soybeans) - purchase at The Mala Market or on Amazon
- Cooking oil
- Salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Slice ginger into 1 – 2 inch pieces. Slice garlic cloves in halves or thirds. Snip chilis with scissors into ½ inch pieces.
- Heat your wok until it smokes slightly and then add cooking oil and spread around the surface.
- Add dried red chilis and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry for around 15 seconds until fragrant. Next, add the douchi and stir-fry for about 15 seconds before adding the sliced ginger and garlic. Continue stir-frying for another 15-20 seconds and then add the cauliflower.
- Stir-fry cauliflower for around one minute and then add the Chinese black vinegar. Continue cooking until your desired tenderness is achieved. For us, this is around 3 – 5 minutes but it depends on how hot our wok is and the size of the cauliflower pieces.
- You can add a small amount of water to the wok when cooking the cauliflower (see video), which will help it to cook and will deglaze the wok.
- Plate and enjoy while hot!
Variations
For additional spice and flavor, try adding a tablespoon of our homemade chili oil with sediment. After the cauliflower is fully cooked, add the chili oil and sediment and toss in the wok right before plating.
Equipment
We recommend using a lightweight round-bottom iron wok, but a flat-bottom wok or carbon steel skillet will work.
Storage
Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days but the flavor and texture really suffer - eat it all right after cooking if possible!
📖 Recipe
Chinese Cauliflower with Douchi
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chinese cauliflower other varieties will still taste yummy if you don’t have access to Chinese cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar Baoning or Zhenjiang preferred
- .5 ounces sliced fresh ginger (about 3 or 4 slices)
- 3 cloves garlic sliced or minced
- 5 Sichuan dried red chili peppers if you prefer mild spicy varieties try erjingtao and for a hotter variety use "xiao mi la"chilies.
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns hua jiao
- .75 ounces douchi fermented black soybeans
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Slice ginger into 1 – 2 inch pieces. Slice garlic cloves in halves or thirds. Snip chilis with scissors into ½ inch pieces.
- Heat your wok until it smokes slightly and then add cooking oil and spread around the surface.2 tablespoon cooking oil
- Add dried red chilis and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry around 15 seconds until fragrant. Next, add the douchi and stir-fry for about 15 seconds before adding the sliced ginger and garlic. Continue stir-frying another 15-20 seconds and then add the cauliflower..5 ounces sliced fresh ginger (about 3 or 4 slices), 3 cloves garlic, 5 Sichuan dried red chili peppers, 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, .75 ounces douchi, 1 pound Chinese cauliflower
- Stir-fry cauliflower around one minutes and then add the Chinese black vinegar and salt. Continue cooking until your desired tenderness is achieved. For us this is around 3 – 5 minutes but it depends on how hot our wok is and the size of the cauliflower pieces.½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
- You can add a small amount of water to the wok when cooking the cauliflower (see video), which will help it to cook and will deglaze the wok.¼ cup water
- Plate and enjoy while hot!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition disclaimer
malaeats.com is created for informational purposes only. Although we do our best to provide nutritional information to our readers as a general guideline, we are not certified nutritionists and the nutritional values provided should be considered estimates. Numerous factors such as variations in fresh ingredients, brands purchased, etc. will alter the nutritional values in any recipe. Different online calculators also provide different results depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, please use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities you used.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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