Romanesco florets stir-fried in Sichuan “dry pot” style, with spicy doubanjiang and garlic, glazed figs, five-spice yucca fries, and a crispy rice paper tuile.
I’ve been obsessed with romanesco. A type of cruciferous vegetable, romanesco has pale green, fractal-like heads that are denser and nuttier than broccoli or cauliflower. The stems have lots of crunch, and each romanesco flower is surrounded with tender finger leaves that roast up crispy and caramelized like roasted brussels sprouts.
I spotted a vendor selling tiny romanesco at the downtown farmers market in Portland last week— the first few of the season— and I had to take some of the cone-like gems home to stir-fry.
For cooking harder vegetables like romanesco and cauliflower, a great method is dry stir-frying (gan guo 干锅 or “dry pot”). You flash cook the raw florets by oil-blanching, literally “passing through oil” (过油), to lock in their vibrant color and crisp up their edges. Then, pour out the oil from the wok and return it to the heat. Stir-fry the aromatics (garlic, dried chiles, chili bean paste), and return the vegetables to the wok.
Because the liquid seasonings are minimal, caramelization happens quickly, reducing the condiments and sauce at the bottom of the wok into a glaze that coats the crannies of the crisp-tender florets with intense, smoky flavor.
To plate, I fried up some yucca root wedges— boiled first until chopstick-tender, fried until golden, then seasoned with five-spice and maldon flake salt. The crunchy, golden wedges had a dry, floury bite that played well with the saucy, caramelized florets and thin-skinned shishito peppers.
I wanted to play around with figs too, imagining their caramel, woody notes would go well with the slightly bitter, sulfurous notes of romanesco. There are just a few pieces on the plate, enough to get a bite here and there, chewy morsels of seedy, concentrated sweetness that balance the salty doubanjiang and eliminate the need for sugar in the sauce.
The rice paper tuile was just for fun, a shattering crisp, fragile garnish that melts on the tongue, leaving a buttery savoriness.
📖 Recipe
Stir-fried romanesco and shishito peppers with chili bean paste and garlic 干锅绿花菜
Romanesco florets stir-fried in Sichuan “dry pot” style, with spicy doubanjiang and garlic, glazed figs, five-spice yucca fries, and a crispy rice paper tuile.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For the stir-fry:
- 1 pound (450g) romanesco
- 7–8 shishito peppers
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 8 dried chiles, snipped into 2-cm segments, seeds shaken out
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan chili bean paste (doubanjiang)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- A handful of dried figs, cut into quarters
For the yucca fries and crispy tuile (optional):
- 8 oz (224g) yucca root, peeled and roll-cut into wedges
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 small round sheet of rice paper (the kind used for wrapping Vietnamese spring rolls)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
Instructions
- Trim and cut the romanesco into florets, retaining as many leaves as possible. Cut the shishito peppers at a diagonal bias into 2-inch pieces. Heat about 2 cups oil in a wok to 350°F (177°C). Drop in the romanesco and oil-blanch for 2 minutes, until stems are bright green in color and florets are turning golden-brown on the edges. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Drop the shishito peppers and fry for 10 seconds (very briefly!), then transfer to the same plate.
- If frying the yucca fries and rice paper tuile, do that now (see step below). Pour out the oil into a heat-proof container, retaining about 1 tablespoon in the wok.
- Heat the wok over medium-high heat and add the dried chiles. Stir-fry until fragrant and starting to darken, then add the garlic slices. When the garlic is fragrant not yet browned, about 30 seconds, push the aromatics up the sides of the wok and add the chili bean paste, soy sauce, and dried figs. When the sauce is bubbling, add the oil-blanched romanesco and shishito peppers and stir-fry over high heat until the sauce is slightly reduced and coats the vegetables like a glaze, about 2 minutes. Remove the wok from the heat.
For the yucca fries and crispy rice paper tuile (optional):
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Blanch the yucca pieces until a knife slides through the pieces with ease. Remove gently with a slotted spoon and pat dry with a clean towel. Fry until crispy and golden-brown and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Drop the sheet of rice paper into the oil— it will puff up immediately and turn white. Remove before it burns and transfer to a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and five-spice.
To serve:
- Arrange a few pieces of fried yucca on the plate. Transfer the stir-fried romanesco on top. Scatter a few of the glazed figs around the plate, and garnish with the rice paper tuile. Serve immediately.
Keywords: shishito, romanesco, sichuan
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