If you are skeptical about the cauliflower rice hype, this Oriental spiced recipe with coconut milk, raisins and toasted almonds will make you change your mind. It is true that cauliflower will never taste like rice but we also discovered that it’s the flavours that the cauliflower rice buzz comes from. You will not forget instantly about the fluffy texture and the creaminess of the rice, but with the right spices, the right cooking technique and with only 7 g versus 45 g carbs per cup, the cauliflower rice will soon become a staple.
WHY EATING CAULIFLOWER
Just like for all its relatives from the Cruciferous family (kale and broccoli being its green superstar cousins), eating cauliflower have health benefits that should make us consider eating it more often. The cauliflower rice is a great way of consuming this humble veggie, because it doesn’t require intensive cooking such as boiling, which destroys most of its nutrients, and it can also be served raw.
The highlight of its nutrients are the Glucosinolates, a class of phytonutrients involved in the natural detoxification process of our body cells, with anti-inflammatory properties and a supporting role for the immune system. B vitamins especially folate, omega 3 fatty acids and fibre are also present in important concentrations in cauliflower.
HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER RICE
The idea behind making the cauliflower rice is pretty simple – cut the cauliflower into florets, add into the food processor with S blade and pulse to obtain the rice texture, making sure not to over-process and obtain a soggy mixture. Starting from this, it’s a matter of available time and taste preference. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a sharp knife instead, to cut the cauliflower florets into smaller ones, until you get the rice texture. You don’t need to be very precise, the idea is to have a small texture that resemble the rice one without large chops reminding you constantly what you’re actually eating.
You can go further and roast the cauliflower florets first, to enhance its taste – this is a technique which I love, because I usually roast a lot of cauliflower during our meal prep, and it’s a way to variate its serving throughout the week. However, the texture of roasted cauliflower is less fluffy and more spongy than a skillet cooked one, because it lost most of its liquids and volume.
You can serve the cauliflower rice raw, replacing the grain from a classic salad (a tabbouleh for instance). Or you can experiment with spices, textures and flavours – cooking the rice with spices, adding a crunch from nuts and seeds, as we did with this Oriental dish which we can’t get enough of.
Looking for more interesting ways to cook with cauliflower? Try our Greek Briam with Cauliflower, our Cauliflower Baked Ziti or our Cauliflower Falafel Power Bowls
Warm Curried Cauliflower Rice with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower head
- 2 tbsp coconut milk full fat
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup lightly toasted almonds crushed
- 1 pomegranate seeds only
- 1 tbsp raisins
- 1 apple core removed, cut into small cubes
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into florets and add into an S blade food processor.
- Pulse three or four times to obtain a rice texture, making sure you don't over-process.
- If the cauliflower is too soggy, use a cheese cloth to remove liquids.
- Heat the avocado oil into a cast-iron skillet and add the cauliflower rice and garlic.
- Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the curry powder, cayenne and black pepper, season with salt, add the coconut milk and raisins and mix to combine.
- Cook 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Transfer into a large bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine.
- Serve warm.
