Kung pao cauliflower

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Everyone has a go-to dinner staple that never disappoints. For me, the recipe I return to time and again is kung pao cauliflower. This one got me through my twenties – and beyond – and is an easy, delicious way to spice up your weekly rotation.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small head of cauliflower cut into florets
• olive oil to coat
• salt
• 4-6 dried red chillies, halved lengthways, seeds removed

Kung pao sauce

• 4 garlic cloves, grated using a Microplane
• 1½ tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 4 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp ground Sichuan pepper (substitute ground white pepper if unavailable)
• 4 tsp cornflour

To serve

• spring onions, sliced
• ½ - ¾ cup salted, roasted peanuts
• sliced fresh red chilli (optional)
• steamed jasmine or coconut rice

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 195C fan-forced (215C conventional).
2. Place the cauliflower florets on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with enough olive oil to very lightly coat. Season generously with salt. Roast for 15-18 minutes, until the cauliflower is slightly crisp and the florets have a few gnarly tanned bits.
3. While the cauliflower is roasting, add all the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine. You may need to whisk this a few times to eliminate any lumps of cornflour.
4. Pull the cauliflower from the oven and pour the sauce all over, add the dried chillies and, using tongs, turn the pieces of cauliflower to coat them in the sauce. Return the tray to the oven for another 15 minutes, stirring and tossing the cauliflower a few times during cooking to prevent burning.
5. Remove and transfer to a large bowl. Scatter with the spring onion and peanuts and toss to combine. You can also add some sliced fresh red chilli here for extra colour and heat.

Serves 4 with rice

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This recipe is from episode seven of Good Food Kitchen season 2, screening on 9Now.