Light Color and Flavor in a Simple New Vegetable
Most of the time, I prefer my vegetables to be simply cooked, so their essence shines through. With a recipe for a new type of cauliflower, I was able to achieve this. All I had to do was tweak the cooking time a little.
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
My husband saw some Chinese cauliflower on sale and wanted to try it, so we bought some. As I was searching for a recipe for this vegetable, I learned that it goes by different names, e.g., Karifurore cauliflower, Fioretto cauliflower, Sprouting cauliflower, and Flowering cauliflower.
Inspiring Recipe
The recipe that I chose to reference was Flowering Cauliflower Stir-Fry from the site, Viet World Kitchen.
First Try
The great thing about cooking vegetables is that, usually, I don’t need to buy any extra ingredients because they’re already at home. It was true this time.
Ingredients to Use
Starting with 2.28 pounds of flowering cauliflower, I increased the rest of the ingredients on the default recipe and used the following:
- 3 tablespoons + 1/3 teaspoon of avocado oil
- 4 ounces + 1 tablespoon + 1/3 teaspoon of water
- 1/2 tablespoon + 1/8 teaspoon of sesame oil
For each of the above ingredients, I selected them due to availability, since I didn’t have any canola oil, chicken broth, or peanut oil. In addition, I didn’t have any kosher salt, so I used sea salt.
Lastly, to keep the ratio of the avocado oil the same as the default recipe, I could’ve used somewhere between (2 1/2 tablespoons + 1/4 teaspoon) and (3 tablespoons + 1 1/3 teaspoons). What I actually used was based on the measuring spoons that I already had out.
Steps to Prepare
For the four steps in the instructions, I only made a change in Step 2 by cooking the cauliflower in a wok rather than a skillet. This made it easier to stir and flip the pieces.
When it came to Step 3, I lowered the heat to medium high after covering the wok. Once the cauliflower was tender crisp, there was still water left, so I had to increase the heat setting to high in order to boil it away.
Time to Eat
Here’s the plate of flowering cauliflower ready to be served.
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰 | 🙂 |
The first thing I heard about the cauliflower was the following:
It’s crunchy.
– Older son
Yes, they were crunchier than the cauliflower or broccoli that I usually boiled and served with oyster sauce, but the texture and flavor could easily be adjusted to accommodate different preferences.
Second Try
For the second attempt, I focused on making the cauliflower softer and saltier.
Ingredients to Use
With a little bit more cauliflower this time (2.62 pounds), I increased the remaining ingredients slightly, as follows:
- 3 1/2 tablespoons + 1 1/8 teaspoons of avocado oil
- 5 ounces + 1 1/3 teaspoons of water
- 1/2 tablespoon + 1/3 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of sesame oil
- Sea salt, to taste
Steps to Prepare
For the process, I kept the steps the same as before with the following exceptions:
- Step 3 – Doubled the cooking time to 6 minutes after covering the wok.
- Step 4 – Sprinkled more salt until I could taste it.
Time to Eat
Here’s the plate of cauliflower from the second round.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰 | 🙂 |
After trying some cauliflower from the second batch, I found that the pieces were definitely softer and better salted.
The next time I make flowering cauliflower, I will try the other version listed on the recipe, as follows:
Continuous Improvement
- Use chicken broth instead of water to cook the vegetable in.
If the flowering cauliflower wasn’t on sale, I wouldn’t have purchased it nor known how it tasted. Based on this experience, below is what I would like to share with my previous self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Be more open to trying new things!
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Flowering Cauliflower Stir-Fry from the site, Viet World Kitchen?
- Share the name of the vegetable that you tried for the first time?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)