Recipe: Xinjiang Style Aromatic Cumin Cauliflower
I went to Xinjiang over a decade ago. I was on my way to Tibet and managed to stop by places in Sichuan and Yunnan too. I vividly remember eating beef and lamb dishes laced with cumin across these places that lie in the westerly provinces of China; beef and lamb being preferred by the Muslim Uighurs, of course. Cumin is not familiar to a Cantonese palate; the closest encounter might be in the pungency of star anise or its cousin fennel, blended into five spice powder. While cumin’s entry point to China has been disputed (some say it came from India or the Middle East via the silk route, some say it’s always been indigenous), it’s definitely been around for two millennia.
Since I visited Xinjiang, regional Chinese food has really taken off in London. You can find this aromatic dish of cumin spiced lamb in fantastic restaurants such as Silk Road, Sichuan Folk or Bar Shu. The seasoning incorporates the classic Sichuan ma la ‘mouth numbing’ flavour pairing, with the addition of fragrant fried cumin spice.
Since I don’t eat meat anymore, I have done a vegan version with cauliflower, to which I couldn’t resist adding a touch of turmeric for its uplifting colour and healthy benefits. I think this recipe would work just as well with earthy vegetables such as potatoes, aubergine, carrots and parsnips. For guidance I looked to this recipe by Omnivores Cookbook, should anyone be interested in the meaty version.
Cook’s note: dry frying is a typical Sichuan cooking technique that doesn’t produce any sauce, but involves cooking the main ingredient in a lot of oil, intensifying the flavour while drying out and browning the exterior. It is then tossed quickly with aromatic ingredients to avoid overcooking. Since I don’t advocate using too much oil and large cauliflower florets can take a while to cook, I found it helpful to half–steam the cauliflower beforehand. You can omit this step if you slice your cauliflower a bit more finely.
Let me know if you try this recipe and share your results on Instagram with #CelestialPeach.
Ingredients
A cauliflower, cut into florets
For the spice mix:
2 tbsp cumin powder
2 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed Sichuan peppercorns
For the dry fry:
2–3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
1 thumb ginger, finely sliced
4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
2 medium red chilli peppers, sliced
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (optional, or replace with dry sherry)
1 spring onion, diagonally sliced, green and white parts separated
Instructions
Steam or parboil the cauliflower briefly (2–3 minutes) and dry thoroughly.
Toss the cauliflower florets in the spice mix and coat evenly.
Heat the oil to smoking point in a wok or large saucepan, and fry the onion on low/medium heat until translucent (around 5–8 minutes).
Add the ginger, garlic, chilli and cumin and continue frying for a few minutes until fragrant.
Return the heat to medium/high and add the cauliflower, soy sauce and cooking wine, making sure to keep everything moving. You want to get some charring on the cauliflower and dry out the contents of the pan (around 5 minutes).
Toss in the white part of the spring onion for the final few minutes of cooking.
Garnish by scattering over the green parts of the spring onion.
