So: “What Chinese dishes are vegetarian?”
With a handful of ingredients, you to can be wok’ing up fantastic vegetarian food at home!
In this post I’ll not only show you how to cook vegetarian food but also “how to order vegetarian Chinese food”
I was back with my TV family and it just so happened to be ‘National Vegetarian Week’ which ran from the 10th – 16th May. So after some head scratching I decided to showcase a brand new recipe I’d been working on for a new book I’m writing.
Being a HUGE fan of American style Buffalo Wings I’d created this amazing Chinese style Buffalo sauce which is tangy, spicy and sour and I knew it would be sooooo good smothered over crispy cauliflower florets.
I was joined in the kitchen by Steph and Chris Kamara (Kammy) who last time couldn’t try my food as he is a strict vegetarian, so I was chuffed I was cooking a veggie dish. Just before we went live I heard a little voice in my ear saying “can I cook and serve the dish in 5 minutes and 30 seconds”, I’d just lost 4 and half minutes as another piece in the show had ran over.
So after a frantic 5 minutes of LIVE TV cooking I served the dish to Steph and Kammy and to my horror on Kammy’s very first mouthful he began to cough and choke. Basically he’d inhaled as he stuffed a piece of cauliflower in to his mouth and the vinegar fumes from the sauce hit the back of his throat.
The coughing and spluttering continued for the next 30 seconds as I did my piece to camera, TV Gold at it’s very best.
ORDERING A VEGGIE TAKEAWAY
Having worked in many Chinese kitchens throughout the UK here are my top tips to ordering a vegetarian Chinese Takeaway.
1. Do Not order anything that is deep fried
I can hand on heart guarantee that your veggie mini spring rolls and your portion of Chinese chips will have been cooked in the same fryer as the customer before you who has just ordered Pork Balls and Spare Ribs.
2. Ask the chef to use clean oil before he begins to stir fry
In most takeaways and restaurants oil is often recycled after frying and is then used to stir fry.
Chinese Style Buffalo Cauliflower Florets
Ingredients
- 300 g Cauliflower Broken down into bite size Florets
- 1/4 Cup Cornflour
- 1 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 Egg whisked
- 2 tbsp Doubanjiang Chilli Bean Sauce
- 5 tbsp Rice Vinegar White or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sugar
Instructions
- Place whisked egg into a large bowl, add your cauliflower florets which should all roughly be the same size (like a chicken drumette), mix well and then add your cornflour ensuring each floret is coated in the egg and cornflour mixture. Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat and fry the cornflour coated cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes stirring regularly to ensure even cooking and browning. Transfer to kitchen paper to drain and leave to one side. Add the chilli bean sauce, vinegar, tomato puree, soy sauce and sugar into a large saucepan or clean wok. Stir well and cook for a minute or 2 until just starting to bubble and the sugar has dissolved. Now add your cooked cauliflower florets, give everything a final mix and transfer to your serving plate and enjoy. Serve with a dish of Carrot and Celery batons and a blue cheese or sour cream dip
