The popularity of cauliflower is on the rise and for good reasons! Cauliflower is probably one of the most versatile ingredients and fairly easy to prepare. In addition to this, it is a great alternative to regular white rice. The new healthy carb is here!
You can find so many amazing cauliflower recipes ranging from soups, casseroles, vegetable soups, mashed, fried, roasted cauliflower heads, Indo-Chinese cuisine, among many others. The best part is that each recipe is just as flavorful and creative as the next! And what I really love is that cauliflower is found in so many different ethnic cuisines – its not just a boring, childhood ingredient many of us used to run away from.
I wanted to share a recipe with you for CURRIED RICE that was very common in my home while growing up. My mom used to take leftover white rice and saute it with onions, various spices and veggies and turn this plain rice into a spicy, hearty rice dish that we used to eat with plain yogurt or raita. Honestly, as I’m writing this part of the post, I’m literally craving this dish now. I’m imagining my mom at the stove and how amazing she made this dish taste with just a few simple ingredients – it is a really delicious and creative way to change up some leftover rice!
Today, I will be re-inventing my moms recipe by replacing white rice with Cauliflower Rice. The flavors are still at 100% in this recipe, but the guilt is less, which means you can eat more of it! Or, at least that’s my thought process! LOL.
This recipe for Curried Cauliflower Rice can easily be made into a main dish by adding in a variety of vegetables, or a simple side with some flare. In my home, we eat our curried rice with some plain yogurt on top and some spicy pickle. It may sound odd to you, but it is a really tasty combination between the seasoned rice, creamy yogurt and crunchy pickles – you get a great array of textures and flavors in each bite!
Sounds good?
Okay, so while you’re still thinking about whether or not that combination sounds good, I’m going to stop “story-telling” for a moment and get you the recipe now! Haha.
CURRIED CAULIFLOWER RICE
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients:
- 1 head of cauliflower (cleaned and cut into medium florets)
- 1 medium onion – diced small
- 1 small tomato – diced small
- 1 jalapeno – diced small
- 1 Tbsp of cumin seed
- 1-1.5 Tbsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of turmeric
- 1 tsp of coriander/cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp of garam masala powder
- 1 tsp of Madras curry powder (Hot/Mild)
- 1/4 cup of tomato ketchup
- 1/2 cup of frozen mixed veggies – thawed (you can add 1 cup to make a heartier dish)
- 1/4 cup of freshly chopped coriander
- 3-4 fresh curry leaves
- 1/4 cup of oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
Instructions:
- Trim the cauliflower florets as much as you can to remove the leaves and as much as of the stem as possible.
- In a food processor, add the florets in 2-3 batches and blend till it looks like it has a quinoa or couscous type of texture. Set aside.
- In a medium pot, add the oil and allow to heat up on medium low heat.
- Once oil is hot, add the curry leaves, cumin seeds and allow to cook for about 1 minute or until you start to hear them sizzle a bit.
- Next, add the tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, ketchup and all your dry spices (garam masala, salt, turmeric, curry powder, coriander/cumin powder) and mix well till fully incorporated and allow to cook uncovered for about 5-7 minutes on medium heat. This saute mixture should become less liquidy and become a reddish-burgandy color.
- Next add your frozen veggies and allow to cook for another 5-7 minutes or until all the veggies soften.
- Add cauliflower rice, lower heat to medium low and mix into the sauteed veggie mixture till everything is fully coated. Cover and allow to cook on stove for about 7-10 minutes. Check at least 1x in the middle to make sure rice is not sticking to bottom of pan.
- After time, uncover the pot and if there is any extra liquid – allow to burn off. The cauliflower rice should be moist, but not have additional liquid to sit in.
- Remove from heat and serve in desired bowl with freshly chopped coriander as garnish and a few squeezes of lemon juice.
The spices in this dish really compliment the cauliflower well and almost adds a bit of “sweetness” to the cauliflower and livens it up. Cauliflower in itself is a pretty bland tasting vegetable, so feel free to add a bit more spices into the dish during the cooking process if you want a stronger garam masala or curry flavor.
Also, this recipe can be made the same way with with leftover white rice. It will have a different consistency because the rice will act like a sponge and soak up all the liquid from your sauteed veggie mixture, but still really delicious!
Let me know what you think of this cauliflower rice recipe. I hope you will get a chance to make it. Feel free to tag me on IG @cmspiceculture or leave a comment below.
Enjoy! :O)
