Perfect Cauliflower "Fried Rice"

August 2, 2018

I was against the idea of cauliflower rice for the longest time.  For no reason other than being so in love with rice that I thought it was a waste to even try and substitute cauliflower for rice.  I mean come on! I mushy veggie that will pass as rice? I was not convinced.  UNTIL! Until I picked up some bags of frozen cauliflower rice from Costco and decided to play around with different recipes and techniques to create the absolute best fried cauliflower rice that you will ever have! And I think I nailed it. FINALLY!

The key to this recipe is you have to cook the "rice" very well and over moderately high heat.  This will dry the cauliflower until it crisps up just enough and enhances the texture to make it more rice-like. I decided to add Asian flavors but you can take this recipe in any flavor direction you wish. In 10 minutes I had a mound of flavorful goodness. I could not get over how good it was!



Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
3 Tablespoons Yellow Onion, finely diced
3 Tablespoons Red Bell Peppers, finely diced
4 Cups Frozen Cauliflower Rice
1 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic
1 Tablespoon Granulated Onion
1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil








{In a large non-stick saute pan over medium high heat, add your avocado oil, onions and peppers.  Lightly season with salt.}



{Saute for 3 minutes or so until the onions and peppers start to brown.}


{Add in your frozen cauliflower rice.}


{Over medium-high heat, stir constantly to brown and dry out the frozen cauliflower.  Make sure it is perfectly mixed with the onion and pepper mixture.  Continue to brown for about 4 minutes.}




{Add in your seasonings: granulated garlic, granulated onion, fresh cracked black pepper, dried parsley.  Mix well and let sauté for a minute or two more.}


{Continue to mix until each piece of cauliflower is perfectly seasoned and has contacted the hot pan surface.  Evenly spread the mixture out and create a single layer so that the rice crisps up a bit.  I think this is key for a true rice-like texture.  Cooked cauliflower can become mushy, and in my opinion, can develop a very unpleasant texture. By sautéing the riced cauliflower over a moderately high heat, and in a thin layer, it will brown perfectly without steaming and becoming mushy.}


{After about two minutes, remove the pan from the heat and add in your soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well, serve immediately and enjoy!} 


This could not be more rice-like; I was so blown away when I tasted it. The texture is there, the flavors are there. Imagine this with some cooked shrimp for shrimp fried rice or with little nuggets of chicken for chicken fried rice!


Because I am limiting the amount of carbs I am eating, I had this with a seared tuna steak and literally licked the plate clean. I now know what I will be eating for the next few weeks, won't you join me? :)