Lately I have been seeing constant posts raving about how amazing Cauliflower rice is so, being the impressionable person that I am, I figured I should probably give it a go. I have to admit, this was partly out of cynicism as I found it hard to believe that cauliflower could be an acceptable alternative to actual rice. Sure, rice doesn’t really taste of anything but it’s texture and ability to fill you up surely can’t be matched by cauliflower…right? Wrong! I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Not only does the texture match that of rice really well, but it also tastes better and cooks quicker! I tried it with some good old vegetable curry which worked really well, and here is my recipe.
- Obviously the first step is to get the cauliflower head looking a little more like rice. The easiest way to do this would be to use a food processor, which I don’t have. I tried using my hand blender but it worked a little too well and created more of a cauliflower mush, so I wouldn’t recommend that! I then opted for the grating method, which actually took less time than I had anticipated. Working on the basis that about half of a cauliflower is one portion, you just grate it into a bowl using the larger side of the grater, stopping when you get to the tougher stalk in the middle. The “rice” isn’t exactly a uniform size, but I quite like that. Mine looks a little strange as I added the mush that I’d accidentally made earlier to the mix. Waste not, want not!
- 2. Like when making the rice, there are a few different suggestions as to how you cook the rice. You could steam it, but I though that might make it a little soggy as the grains are so small it would be hard to judge how long to steam them for. Another option is to bake them, which would take about 10 minutes. As it was intended as a quick post-workout meal, I chose to sauté the rice in a little groundnut oil until it started to turn golden brown, which took about 3 minutes. This gave it a nice firm texture and slightly nutty taste, which was good! To be a bit healthier you could use coconut oil, but that can be kind of pricey so don’t worry too much if, like me, your budget doesn’t allow for it. And that’s all there is to it! How easy was that, hey?!
(When I made it again, I added some cumin seeds for extra flavour. Best decision I made that day!)
As tasty as this is, it would be rather boring on its own, so I paired it with a mega quick and easy vegetable curry. I simply added some balti curry paste and soya yoghurt to chickpeas, peppers, green beans and spinach (I would usually add mushrooms, but in all my excitement I completely forgot!), along with a little extra garlic and chilli for a bit of kick, and simmered the whole thing for about 10-15 minutes. If you’re making this at the same time as the rice, I’d suggest getting the curry simmering first and by the time you’ve made and cooked the rice you should have the whole meal ready at the same time.
So there you have it! A quick, tasty, low carb and low calorie (don’t ask me exactly how many calories!) vegan dish. I am now officially a cauliflower rice convert. I guess I’ll have to try some zoodles next…
LPW xo
Little Pixie Wild 