The idea of making “rice” from cauliflower is both strange and intriguing. I am all for the idea of sneaking in vegetables in my diet but the idea of a plate full of cauliflower in the absence of cream and blistered cheese topping ala gratin or crispy coat of chickpea batter may spell a risk of blandness and possibly, traumatise you with eating boring cauliflower.
Well, I’ve noticed my pitching effort is not off to a great start here ha!
Rather than taking the plunge with plain cauliflower “rice” which entails process the cauliflower until resembles coarse crumbs and cooking it in the microwave, I decided to take a tastier approach by making fried cauliflower “rice”. With a flavour base such as garlic, onion, fresh coriander leaves and soy sauce coupled with scrambled eggs, it is my favourite ingredients for fried rice which guarantee deliciousness and flavour so much so that when I had my friend taste test the fried cauliflower “rice”, it was similar to the normal fried rice I made.
Roast Chicken, Peas & Coriander Fried Cauliflower “Rice”
What you’ll need for 3 servings
- 500g cauliflower, trimmed
- Cooking oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 small brown onion, peeled & diced
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled & chopped
- 1 roast chicken breast from the supermarket (or poached), diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Soy sauce to taste
- Kecap manis to taste (see here should you wish to make your own)
- A generous handful of chopped coriander leaves (or scallions/spring onions)
- Sliced chilli as garnish, optional
Equipment required: A food processor
Method:-
Firstly, make the raw cauliflower “rice”. Add cauliflower florets into a food processor and process until resemble coarse crumbs. Set aside.
In a large stir-fry pan, add oil. When the oil is hot, crack 3 eggs and scramble the eggs until 70% cooked. Push the eggs on one side with a spatula, minimise the heat to low, add chopped onion, garlic and diced chicken and sauté until aromatic with the scrambled eggs still remaining on a side (you may want to add more oil if the mixture appears a little dry). When the onion-garlic mixture becomes aromatic, mix the scrambled eggs and add frozen peas and cauliflower “rice”. Sauté over medium heat until the peas are warm through and the cauliflower “rice” no longer taste raw.
Season with soy sauce and kecap manis. (Note: I added kecap manis more for colour i.e. to darken the cauliflower rice than for taste. Feel free to skip the kecap manis if you have none on hand).
Turn off the flame and stir in chopped coriander leaves. Garnish with sliced chilli and serve immediately.
Oh wauw that is awesome rice! And gluten free aswell
Nice invention
I’ve been meaning to make this for ages! Recently bought a cauliflower so will have to give this a whirl soon!
Hi Helen,
Looking forward to hear your take on cauliflower “rice”!