Dry Pot Cauliflower is a restaurant favorite that we’ve had countless times in China. It’s our vegetable of choice when eating out. You might think it sounds boring, but we discovered that cauliflower can be amazingly delicious with a little spice, saltiness and the addition of pork belly.
Why Is it Called “Dry Pot” Cauliflower?
There is a reason why this dish is called Dry Pot Cauliflower, or 干锅菜花 (gan guo cai hua). Restaurants usually serve dishes like this in a miniature wok over a tiny chafing dish flame.
As I write this, I’m remembering the thin layer of sliced onions at the bottom. The onions caramelize in the sauce from the heat of the little flame as you eat, preventing the cauliflower from overcooking and adding a perfect little surprise at the end of the dish.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a small chafing dish setup, but if you do, why not try this with that thin layer of sliced onions at the bottom?
You may be familiar with dry pot dishes, as there’s a big variety of ingredients prepared in this way––you can find dry pot chicken wings, dry pot beef, and even dry pot frog legs! In China, it usually has its own section on the menu to let you pick and choose from different combinations.
See if You Can Find This Special Cauliflower Variety
One other note before we start cooking. You’ll notice the cauliflower I used here is pretty unique looking. In Beijing, they call it “organic cauliflower” (but I doubt it’s organic), and in other Chinese produce markets, it’s called Taiwanese cauliflower. Online, I’ve also found names like fioretto, karifurore cauliflower, flowering cauliflower, and sprouting cauliflower.
This variety of cauliflower has small flower buds and long, light green stems. It tastes sweeter and more herbaceous than your standard white cauliflower.
It’s also less dense and more tender than regular cauliflower, and soaks up sauces and flavor a bit better, I find.
But you can use any cauliflower you can find for this recipe!
Dry Pot Cauliflower Recipe Instructions
Prepare the pork belly. Marinate it with ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine. Set aside. Wash the cauliflower and cut it into bite sized pieces.
Heat the oil in a wok set over medium heat. Cook the garlic for a minute. Add the ginger and dried red chilies (if using), and cook for another minute.
Add the pork…all in one layer on the surface of the wok.
Turn up the heat, and cook until the meat turns opaque.
Next, add the cauliflower and red bell peppers. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, ¼ teaspoon sugar, and ½ cup water. Stir, cover, and cook for 1- 2 minutes. (I like more tender cauliflower, so I cook it for 2 minutes.)
Uncover, add the scallions, give it a stir, and serve!
Dry Pot Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pork belly (225g, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (plus ½ teaspoon, divided)
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce (plus 1 tablespoon, divided)
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (plus 1 tablespoon, divided)
- 1 pound cauliflower (450g)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 10 cloves garlic
- 4 slices ginger (julienned)
- 3 dried chilies (chopped, optional)
- ½ of a red bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup water
- 3 scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths)
Instructions
- Prepare the pork belly. Marinate it with ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine. Set aside. Wash the cauliflower and cut it into bite sized pieces.
- Heat the oil in a wok set over medium heat. Cook the garlic cloves for a minute. Add the ginger and chilies (if using), and cook for another minute. Add the pork, turn up the heat, and cook until the meat turns opaque.
- Next, add the cauliflower and red bell peppers. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon ground white pepper, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, ¼ teaspoon sugar, and ½ cup water. Stir, cover, and cook for 1- 2 minutes. (I like more tender cauliflower, so I cook it for 2 minutes.)
- Uncover, add the scallions, give it a stir, and serve!
nutrition facts
This was amazing! The only changes I made were caramelizing some onions first, replacing the water with chicken stock, and omitting the bell peppers. I also cooked it in a Dutch oven, and I ended up having to cook the cauliflower for six minutes (probably because I doubled the recipe). I think next time I might add a tbs of doubanjiang to the sauce for extra heat.
You go, girl—we are all about personalization! :-)
Love this recipe. I add fresh cilantro potatoes and lotus root for an elevated flavor and presentation. Let’s eat! I have pictures
Great recipe, just what I was looking for which reminds me of a dish I had in Shanghai 2 years ago. I used a Le Crueset dutch oven to make this and I needed to cook the cauliflower for 4 instead of 2 minutes to reach a good tenderness. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi Jess, dry pot cauliflower is quite common across China. The beauty of cooking at home is you can cook the cauliflower to however tender or crunchy you like it!
This dish is so simple and yet I found myself so in love with it. Something about just screams comfort food for me. Thanks!!
I am so glad to hear that, Alicia.
What a wonderful dish this is to make! I recently traveled to China and noticed that this type of cauliflower is common. I saw it in an Asian supermarket upon my return home and decided to use this recipe. It’s become a staple in my home.
Thank you, Pat, so glad you enjoyed it.
I love this recipe! I make a bunch of changes/substitutions and it still ends up great.
-no pork
-chili sauce instead of oyster sauce
-canola or avocado oil instead of sesame oil
-Sichuan pepper instead of white pepper
-yellow onion instead of shallots
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it.
1/2 cup of water seems like a lot to me. Is this a typo?
When I made the dish it was way too much. A splash of water was needed at most.
Hi David, my stove’s BTU is very high, feel free to adjust accordingly.
Love your blog! I have tried a few of your recipes and absolutely loved every single one of them 😊. They are as authentic as authentic can be 😊…I know authentic Chinese food when I taste it…I live in China, this is my third year 😊.
Thank you for your generous words, Sara. Happy wokking!
Hi
I love this meal i have it twice a day when im in china.. i go there everything month for 4 days and absolutely love this dish.. certaain parts of china you have to really look around to see who cooks it there but can always find it.. i love the honey glaze bbq pork with it ohh amazing.. so now im going to cook this using your recipe at home in new zealand
Thank you
Hi Jason, it really is a popular dish. We either order dry pot cauliflower or dry pot cabbage. The cooking methods for the two are pretty much the same.
This has always been one of our family ”s favourite dishes when we eat out. So I am really pleased to now know how to cook it myself. Really great recipe. Thanks for posting it!
Me too, Grace, now Sarah and Kaitlin can make this on their own too.