Once you try this you will never go back to normal rice again! Cauliflower rice (though it looks more like cauliflower couscous) is really simple to make and can fool all your friends into thinking they’re eating rice/couscous! It is so easily adaptable for Middle Eastern & Far Eastern dishes as well. There are several ways of making it and cooking it from reading around, however I feel that this way is by far the simplest and fastest way to make cauliflower rice. If you have your own technique or recipe ideas please let me know, would love to hear from you.

Cauliflower Rice

Preparation to Plate: 10 Minutes

Serves 4-5

Keep refrigerated

Consume within 2-4 days

Ingredients:

1 Head of Cauliflower

1 Medium White Onion, chopped

1-2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed

Olive Oil or Coconut Oil (see Additional Tips below)

Recipe:

Put some oil in a large non-stick frying pan under a medium low heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook for a minute or two. Turn the heat down to low and continue to stir every couple of minutes, ensuring the garlic doesn’t burn, whilst you prepare the cauliflower.

You will need to prepare your cauliflower by taking off all the outside green leaves and chopping off the hard base; these leaves can be  quite tough so if you have had a stressful day I highly recommend that you are the one to pull off the leaves (very satisfying).

Once you have done that you need to slice the cauliflower in half and break off all the florets off (not the tine ones you can break them off so that they are broccoli sized). Place these in a salad washer or colander and give a good rinse.

Place the florets in a food processor (some recipes say grate the cauliflower, seriously who has time for that!) and blitz until they have the consistency of couscous/breadcrumbs. You may need to do this in two batches.

Once the onions are soft and aroma has developed, add the cauliflower rice to the onions and garlic in the frying pan and turn up to a medium heat (you may need to add a bit more oil at this point). When you add it to the pan it may seem like a lot but it does shrink down a bit once it is cooked, my advice is to stir and fold gently as it cooks.

Some people have found it difficult to know when the cauliflower rice is cooked and I agree times do vary depending on where you read. What I found was that the smell of ‘raw cauliflower’ will go once it is cooked completely and this took about 5 minutes for me in the frying pan you see above. If in doubt taste it (it’s raw veg, it won’t kill you); this ensures it’s cooked to your preference.

This ‘rice’ can be kept in the fridge for a few days and is great hot or cold. Perfect for ‘bulking up’ a Tupperware before a shift. Personally I ate my supply within 2 days and I’d be hesitant to suggest longer than 4, though if you found it worked past 4 days in the fridge then please comment :).

Additional Tips:

Indian Recipes (Paleo ‘Pilau’) – Like white rice, this dish can be spiced up. If you want to make a ‘pilau rice’ I recommend adding a cinnamon stick, 3-4 cardamon pods, 2-3 cloves, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp ground corriander to the frying pan with the unions and allow an aroma to develop before adding the raw cauliflower rice. You’ll need at least 2-3 tbsp of plain olive oil for this (avoid using extra virgin, it’s too rich).

Far Eastern Recipes – If you want to add an Asian twist, swap the white onions for 2 spring onions and use 2 gloves of garlic and a 2cm piece of fresh ginger (grated) in coconut oil. Cook these as per the original recipe before adding the cauliflower rice. Add up to 1 tbsp of Coconut Aminos before the cauliflower rice is fully cooked. Stir in a handful of freshly chopped coriander once the cauliflower rice has cooked. Alternatively garnish with a splash of sesame oil instead of the coriander.