I first tried Chinese cauliflower about a decade ago when I saw them at a farmers market in San Francisco. Back then, the Chinese cauliflower was a rarity in the US, sold only at a few select farmers markets. However, in the last few years, this variety of cauliflower has become more mainstream. They are now sold at local Asian supermarkets such as Ranch99.
Ranch99 labels the variety as Chinese cauliflower. It looks similar to a cauliflower, except the stalk is long and light green, and the florets are small --like little baby's breath flowers. To me, it looks like a broccolini with white budding florets and light green stems. Andrea Nguyen says it reminds her of a Dr. Seuss creation.
When cooked, the Chinese cauliflower is sweeter, and has a firmer crisp-tender texture compared to the common cauliflower, thanks to it's low water content. In my opinion, it's much much tastier than the common cauliflower.
It turns out that the Chinese cauliflower is a hybrid of a cauliflower and broccoli, first created in Japan by the Tokita seed company, for improved flavor and texture. The hybrid was introduced to the market in 2012 and goes by many names: karifurore, fioretto, flowering cauliflower, white broccoli, stick cauliflower, and sweet sprouting cauliflower. After reading up about this variety of cauliflower, I'm actually not sure why the San Francisco farmer's market or Ranch99 market calls it Chinese cauliflower, cuz it wasn't even created by the Chinese!
Anyways, if you can find this variety of cauliflower at your farmer's market or Asian grocery store, do give this recipe a try. I think you will really love it, and might never go back to the regular common cauliflower.
I think the sweetness from the Chinese sausage pairs beautifully with the natural sweetness in the karifurore, fioretto, flowering or whatever name you want to call this variety of cauliflower. But if you are a vegetarian, feel free to leave it out.
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| Slice Chinese sausage diagonally |
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| Pan fry under low heat |
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| Add chopped garlic |
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| Add cauliflower and a splash of water and turn the heat to high. Saute until water evaporates. Turn off the heat when the florets start turning a light brown in some spots. |
Yields 4 to 6 servings as a side dish
Ingredients:
- 1 bouquet of Chinese cauliflower (~1.5 lbs)
- 2 lap chungs (Chinese sausages) cut diagonally into thin slices
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- ¼ t salt
- ¼ t sugar
- 3 T water
Procedures:
1. Wash cauliflower and separate the bouquet by cutting the stem into small slices.
2. Heat a frying pan under low heat and add the Chinese sausage. Stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes to render some of the fat. (Careful to use low heat as Chinese sausage has a bit a sugar and will burn easily under high heat. Also, no need to add oil to the pan prior to cooking the sausage, as Chinese sausage has a lot of oil already.)
3. Add the garlic, cauliflower, sugar and salt. Increase heat to high heat. Add a splash of water and stir fry until the water evaporates and the cauliflower starts to lightly brown in some spots. (about 5 to 6 minutes)
4. Turn off heat. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve hot with rice.