Milk Street’s Sichaun Cauliflower – A Little Salty but Pretty Good Stovetop Cauliflower Preparation!

I generally roast or steam cauliflower – almost never prepare it on the stovetop.  That is partly why I was attracted to the Milk Street Sichuan Dry-Fried Cauliflower recipe – could I achieve a tender, well-browned cauliflower on the stovetop? Coupled with one of my favorite spice flavorings, this recipe quickly went from intriguing to a must-try.

The recipe was relatively easy to prepare, though I definitely crowded too much cauliflower into the pan, requiring a longer cooking time throughout. 

While I kept the spice and sauce ingredients as-is, the recipe's 2 tablespoons of soy sauce sadly overwhelmed the other flavorings – ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and even the Shaoxing vinegar that I substituted for the dry sherry.  So while we ate all of the cauliflower, we did so with a lot of rice to offset the saltiness of the prepared dish.

The cauliflower itself though was tender and well-browned, so I will repeat this preparation, and likely this recipe, with less soy sauce.