Spicy Numbing Cauliflower Fry

Loosely inspired by the Sichuan Cauliflower dish from MCCB restaurant in Chicago, this one is a staple in our house during cauli season. It comes together pretty quickly for a weekday lunch or dinner. The Taiwanese variety of cauliflower can be found in Asian Supermarkets and have slender, light green stems with small flower buds. When cooked, it tastes sweeter than regular variety! I highly encourage you to make an effort to find this variety to make this dish as is at least once.

Ingredients (serves 2 as Main)
500g or 1 Head of Taiwanese or Chinese Cauliflower (substitute regular cauliflower)
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
6 Dried Red Chilies (optional but highly recommend), snipped into small pieces
1 small red onion, finely chopped
10 garlic cloves, whole
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (optional)
1/2 tsp Sichuan Peppercorns

1.5 tbsp Doubanjiang Paste
1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper (substitute with black pepper)
1 tsp Ground Coriander Seeds

Sauce
60ml Water
2 tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine (substitute with Dry Sherry to keep it GF)
1.5 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 tsp Maple Syrup

Garnish
2 tsp Roasted Sesame Seeds
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped (substitute with 1-2 tbsp chopped chives)

Directions
💥 Remove tough parts of cauliflower stems, cut into long florets if using Chinese / Taiwanese variety. For regular cauliflower, cut into bite size florets. Rinse well, pat dry and keep it aside

💥 In a bowl, whisk all sauce ingredients and keep it aside. Now add oil into a large wok or skillet and put on medium high flame

💥 Once hot, add onion, chilies and ginger (if using), fry for 2 mins. Then add coriander, Sichuan peppercorns and Doubanjiang fry for 60-90 seconds (if the aromatics start sticking then splash 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine or water to deglaze)

💥 Add garlic cloves and cauliflower into the wok and fry for 2 minutes. Now add the sauce, cover and let it cook for 8-10 mins or until cooked through with a bite (if using regular cauliflower then 5-6 mins). Check at 3 mins mark to see the doneness - if too dry then splash some shaoxing cooking wine or water and if too wet then cook on high heat uncovered

💥 Once done, serve right away with finishing touches of sesame seeds, oil and fresh cilantro. Best eaten with Jasmine Rice