Kung Pao is a vegan stir-fry dish made with vegetables, cashew nuts, and chilies.
1 Large Cauliflower
150g Plain Flour
40g Cornflour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Chili Powder
Juice from 1 Lime
250ml Sparkling Water, chilled
15ml Soy Sauce
1 pack 3 Mixed Peppers
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Large Red Onion
1 Green Chilli, approx. 14g
50ml Soy Sauce
50ml Hoisin Sauce
20ml Lemon Juice
100g Cashew Nuts
60ml Sunflower Oil
Sea Salt and White Pepper
To Fry
Vegetable Oil
Cut the peppers into slices, discarding any seeds and white pith.
Peel, halve and slice the red onion.
Peel and mince the garlic.
Chop the chilli finely, retaining the seeds.
Heat the sunflower oil in a wok and fry the peppers, onions, garlic, cashew nuts and chilli for 5 minutes, turning as you cook until slightly browned.
Then, add the hoisin sauce and soy sauce along with the lemon juice and stir well.
Put the vegetables to one side and keep warm while you cook the cauliflower.
Fill a deep frying pan with 3cm of vegetable oil and heat to 150oC. You can test the temperature by dropping a small cube of bread into the oil – when it sizzles you are ready to cook.
Break the cauliflower up into florets of approx. 25g each.
In a bowl, mix the plain flour, cornflour, chilli powder and baking powder. Season with some sea salt and white pepper, then whisk well.
Add the sparkling water, lime juice and remaining soy sauce and mix to a batter with a fork. If the batter is lumpy, that’s fine.
Drop the florets into the batter and then into the hot oil. Fry in batches for 5-6 minutes until golden.
Serve on a bed of the pepper stir fry.
