Sichuanese mouthwatering sauce, most commonly paired with poached chicken, is characterized by its tart and spicy flavor. Shuai Wang—chef at Short Grain, Jackrabbit Filly, and King BBQ in Charleston, South Carolina—pours it over sweet and smoky grilled beets in an unexpected but excellent vegetarian variation. Pockets of milky mozzarella are swapped here in place of poached chicken, while grilled kale provides lots of texture (be sure to opt for the Tuscan kind instead of curly kale, which tends to be too chewy) to the dish. Store-bought cooked beets are a handy shortcut to save on prep time and will yield equally tasty results.
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What you’ll need
Laoganma Spicy Chili Crisp
$3 At Umamicart
Microplane
$17 At Amazon
Tongs
$19 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Stir 1 garlic clove, finely grated, 2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce, 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, 2 tsp. sugar, 2 tsp. chili crisp, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set dressing aside.
Step 2
Toss ½ bunch Tuscan kale, stems and ribs removed, 1 lb. prepared unseasoned cooked beets, drained, and ¼ cup vegetable oil in a large bowl with your hands until well coated. Grill kale and beets, turning occasionally, until kale is crisp and mostly charred and beets are well charred all over, about 5 minutes for kale, 12–15 minutes for beets. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board; let sit until cool enough to handle. Cut beets into quarters. Cut kale into large pieces. Add beets to reserved dressing; toss to coat. Let sit 20 minutes.
Step 3
Just before serving, drizzle sliced sourdough bread or focaccia lightly with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill, turning often, until golden brown and toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Step 4
Spread 8 oz. fresh ricotta on a platter. Add kale to bowl with beets; toss to combine. Spoon mixture over ricotta and tuck 4 oz. fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces, around beets. Drizzle a spoonful of chili crisp oil over. Serve with grilled bread.
