This Chinese cauliflower stir-fry with beef is a delicious one-pan meal that’s quick and easy to make. It also highlights the use of cauliflower in Chinese cooking, which is rarely seen in the U.S. and underrated!
My theory behind this is that cauliflower is not served in most Chinese restaurants probably because it is expensive and harder to keep fresh than the more popular broccoli in stir-fry dishes. For those of you who love cauliflower, you’ll immediately appreciate this recipe and for those of you who may not eat cauliflower regularly, you have to try it!
What is a Flowering Cauliflower?
Ordinary white cauliflower that you find in supermarkets have a dense head of connected buds, which was all I knew before I first encountered a different cauliflower variety in China with longer stems and separate florets.
Developed in Japan by the Tokita Seed Company only about 10-15 years ago, this cauliflower variety quickly became popular in China because it’s more tender and sweeter than ordinary cauliflower, making it perfect for stir-fry dishes.
In recent years, I have seen this variety sold in Chinese grocery stores, labeled Chinese cauliflower or taishan cauliflower. It has also shown up at farmer’s markets, marked in English as fioretto cauliflower or flowering cauliflower. I always buy it whenever it is available!
Tip!
Cauliflower can spoil easily, so cook it as soon as possible after you bring it home. Otherwise, the florets will start to turn brown, starting with small dark spots that spread across the florets. Once this happens, the only remedy is to shave off those dark spots. Whatever variety you buy, make sure that it is fresh and doesn’t have any dark spotty discoloration.
What Does It Mean to Velvet Beef?
As in most of our beef stir-fries, we will be velveting it here. Velveting beef is one of those techniques that you must learn to cook good Chinese food at home. You can use the shortcut method which is what this recipe uses, by adding a small amount of baking soda and water along with the rest of the marinade ingredients. To recreate the softness and texture of beef from Chinese restaurants, use the water rinsing method to velvet your beef.
For more complete information on selecting cuts of beef and velveting beef, see our post on How to Prepare Beef for Stir Fry (open new window link) and our Youtube video on How to Velvet beef (open new window link).
Try these other cauliflower recipes!
- Dry Pot Cauliflower
- Korean Fried Cauliflower
- General Tso’s Cauliflower
- Easy Roasted Cauliflower Stir-fry
Recipe Instructions
Velvet the beef in a medium bowl by combining the sliced beef with the baking soda and water (if you don’t want your beef tenderized too much, omit the baking soda). Massage the beef with your hands until all the liquid is absorbed. Mix in the remaining marinade ingredients: the cornstarch, oil, and oyster sauce. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Make the sauce mixture by mixing together the chicken stock, sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and blanch your cauliflower for 30 to 60 seconds. Drain and set aside.
Heat your wok over high heat until it starts to smoke. Quickly add 2 tablespoons of oil and spread the beef in one layer. Sear the beef on one side for 1 minute, then flip it. Continue to sear until browned and about 80% done (this should take a total of 2-3 minutes). Turn off the heat, remove the beef from the wok, and set aside.
Set the wok over medium heat, and add another tablespoon of oil along with the garlic and ginger (if using).
Stir for 5 seconds, then pour the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. Add the cauliflower and the sauce mixture you made earlier. Stir the sauce around the sides of the wok to deglaze it.
Wok Tip!
All those nice bits from stir-frying the beef should be absorbed into the sauce for flavor, but the sauce won’t be as clear. Chinese restaurants wash the wok before assembling the final dish to produce a more attractive dish. You can make the decision for yourself at home. Make a more attractive dish like the restaurant or save a wok washing and have a tastier dish with the flavors from searing the beef!
Bring the sauce to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch and water into a slurry to ensure it’s well combined, and drizzle half the mixture into the sauce while stirring constantly. Allow it to simmer and thicken for 20 seconds.
Toss in the seared beef along with any juices. Mix everything together over medium heat until the sauce is simmering and coats the meat and vegetables. If the sauce seems thin, turn up the heat to reduce it further and add more cornstarch slurry. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of chicken stock or water.
Serve with plenty of steamed rice!
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Recipe
Cauliflower Stir-fry with Beef
Ingredients
For the beef and marinade:
- 12 ounces flank steak sliced 1/4-inch or 5mm thick
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
For the sauce:
- ¾ cup low sodium chicken stock (warmed)
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1½ tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (or double black dark soy sauce)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
For the rest of the dish:
- 12 ounces cauliflower florets (preferably Chinese/fioretto cauliflower, about 4-5 cups)
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil, divided)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ teaspoon ginger (grated/minced, optional)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed with 2 tablespoons/30 ml water)
Instructions
- Velvet the beef in a medium bowl by combining the sliced beef with the baking soda and water. Massage the beef with your hands until all the liquid is absorbed. Mix in the remaining marinade ingredients: the cornstarch, oil, and oyster sauce. Marinate at least 30 minutes.
- Make the sauce mixture by mixing together the chicken stock, sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and blanch your cauliflower for 30 to 60 seconds. Drain and set aside.
- Heat your wok over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and spread the beef in one layer. Sear the beef on one side for 1 minute, then flip. Continue to sear until browned and about 80% done. Turn off the heat, remove the beef from the wok, and set aside.
- Set the wok over medium heat, and add another tablespoon of oil along with the garlic and ginger (if using). Stir for 5 seconds, then pour the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. Add the cauliflower and the sauce mixture you made earlier. Stir the sauce around the sides of the wok to deglaze it.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch and water into a slurry to ensure it’s well combined, and drizzle half the mixture into sauce while stirring constantly. Simmer and thicken for 20 seconds.
- Toss in the seared beef along with any juices. Mix everything together over medium heat until the sauce is simmering and coats the meat and vegetables. If the sauce seems thin, turn up the heat to reduce it further and add more cornstarch slurry. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of chicken stock or water. Serve with plenty of steamed rice!
