Stir-fried Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce

Have you ever been in the middle of putting dinner together only to realize that you could do with another side dish? I know I have, and the answer to a quick, simple, and flavorful side lies in this stir fried cauliflower recipe.

Crunchy cauliflower is enveloped in a sweet and sour tomato sauce, making a bright and delicious addition to your meal. It’s colorful and flavorful, the perfect side dish when you want to add more veggies but are growing a little tired of salads and your usual go-to sides. 

Stir fried cauliflower ingredients

Chinese cauliflower

In this recipe I used Chinese cauliflower, which is also called sprouting cauliflower, or long stem cauliflower. But you can feel free to use regular cauliflower for this recipe instead.

One of the differences between these two types of cauliflower is in the stems. Chinese cauliflower has long stems and the texture is chewier. On the other hand, regular cauliflower has a softer and moister texture. So if you use the regular type, shorten the cooking time by just a little. And be gentle when stir frying it in the sauce to keep the cauliflower florets from breaking apart.

You can often find Chinese cauliflower at Asian markets. In the summer, you might see farmer’s markets carry sprouted cauliflower, which is quite similar to Chinese cauliflower. It looks like broccolini but is in white color.

Mise en place

When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:

• Chopped tomato
• Tomato paste
• Sliced garlic
• Cauliflower florets
• Salt and sugar 

This stir fried cauliflower has an amazing sweet and sour sauce made from fresh tomato and tomato paste. If you follow the recipe, you’ll get a sweet and sour flavor from it, but if you’d prefer it be less sweet, reduce the sugar. Give it a taste at the end and if you’d prefer it sweeter, sugar can always be added in.

Stir fried cauliflower cooking process

1. Blanch the cauliflower
2. Saute the garlic
3. Cook the tomato until tender
4. Gently cook the tomato paste
5. Add back the cauliflower and add salt
6. Stir everything together 

Stir fried cauliflower with tomato sauce can be an excellent addition to any main dish, whether you’re making another one of my Chinese recipes or you want to bring in new flavor to any meal. It’s a dish often served hot, but I’ve found it quite delicious once it has cooled down as well. Also if you have a picky eater at home, this might be a new way to introduce cauliflower to them!

More delicious side dishes

• Ginger Green Beans (姜汁豆角)
• Vegetable Fried Rice (蔬菜炒饭)
• Air Fryer Chinese Eggplant
• Air Fryer Garlic Green Beans
• Cantonese Lettuce with Oyster Sauce (蚝油生菜)

Stir-fried Cauliflower with Tomato Sauce

By Maggie Zhu

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 to 4 servings

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This quick and easy stir fried cauliflower with tomato features crunchy cauliflower covered in a sweet and sour tomato sauce. It is a side dish that’s easy to put together and brings big flavor to your table. {Gluten-Free, Vegan}

Ingredients 

• 10 oz (300 g) Chinese cauliflower florets (about 1/2 head cauliflower) (* see footnote 1)
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 tomato , diced
• 2 cloves garlic , sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

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Instructions

• Prepare a large bowl of water and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cauliflower and boil for 2 minutes, until the stem is half cooked, without getting too tender. Turn off heat and immediately transfer cauliflower to the bowl of water to cool down. This will stop the cauliflower from continuing to cook and help it stay crisp. Drain the cauliflower thoroughly.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic, stir a few times until fragrant.
• Add the tomato. Stir and cook until the tomatoes are very softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and mix well. Add sugar accordingly to adjust flavor of sauce (* see footnote 2).
• Add cauliflower back into the skillet and sprinkle with the salt. Carefully use a spatula to mix everything together, until the cauliflower is fully covered with the tomato sauce and the cauliflower has reached the desired doneness. Adjust the seasoning by adding more salt or sugar if needed. Transfer everything to a plate and serve hot as a main dish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. You can replace the long stem Chinese cauliflower with regular white cauliflower. Regular white cauliflower is softer than long stem. Shorten cooking time by blanching it for 1 minute instead of 2 in step 1. During stir-frying, mix the sauce in a gentle manner, to avoid breaking the florets.
2. The amount of sugar you should add depends on the flavor of the tomato and your preference. If you use seasonal local tomatoes, you might only need 1/2 teaspoon sugar. If you don’t like a sweet dish, reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon or less. You can always adjust the flavor by adding more sugar in the end. The dish tastes best when sugar is well balanced with the sour flavor of the tomato, but doesn’t overwhelm it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 67kcal, Carbohydrates: 8.4g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 3.5g, Saturated Fat: 0.6g, Sodium: 30mg, Potassium: 339mg, Fiber: 2.3g, Sugar: 5.1g, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 1mg

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