How I make cauliflower rice

I grew up eating cauliflower being a stir-fry vegetable dish or as soup but never as a substitute for rice, pizza base or any high-carb food. Initially I was skeptical to use cauliflower as a substitute since I love wheat!!! BUT in an attempt to create healthier low-carb dishes as part of my household’s plan to incorporate more fresh produce for our meals on the weekdays, I decided to turn cauliflower into a MEAL 😉 So I did some research on how to grind the cauliflower, finding the right texture and size for the cauliflower rice and went through few recipes! Since cauliflower is tasteless on its own, it requires other ingredients or spices to enhance its flavor. Ok, since it is known as cauliflower RICE, why not I make it the way I make fried rice? Besides, I want to refrain from using any ingredients with dairy such as butter, cheese or milk. I love dairy but then again, it caused me to feel bloated at times. So anyway, I created a savoury stir-fry cauliflower rice with a kick of spice. I love spices and food taste better with spice, at least for me. I have made this several times as a dinner meal – dairy-free, guilt-free, gluten free and most importantly, stomach filling. If you are looking for ways to eat healthier, this is a meal to consider.

What you need: 1 large cauliflower or prepacked cauliflower rice (if you stay in US, you canget from grocery stores), 1.2 lb (545g) ground turkey/ ground chicken/ chicken thigh (either one of these), 1 medium-sized yellow onion, a bunch of parsley, 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric, 1 tablespoon of ground cumin, a pinch of ground cayenne papper, 3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 tablespoon of salt and 1/3 tablespoon of ground black pepper.

First, use a knife to remove the cauliflower from the stem and cut into smaller pieces. Wash the cauliflower and drain the water. Use a paper towel to pat dry the cauliflower. It is crucial that the cauliflower is as dry as possible so that the cooked cauliflower rice is fluffy and does not look mushy. Having said that, all the equipment, utensils and dinnerware must be completely dry if it comes in contact with the cauliflower. If you are using prepacked cauliflower rice, then skip this step.

Place in a food processor and grind the cauliflower until it resembles the size of quinoa.

It shouldn’t be mushy or otherwise you will end up having mashed potatoes!

Use a paper towel to absorb the excess moisture from the cauliflower rice. Alternatively, place the cauliflower rice for at least 3 hours in the fridge if you are not using it immediately. This helps to extract the moisture from the cauliflower rice.

Next, use a knife to dice the yellow onion, chop the parsley and cut the chicken breast / thigh into bite-sized pieces if only you are not using grounded meat.

Heat up a pot on medium heat and add in extra virgin olive oil. Once oil is a little heated, add in onion and saute until tender. Add in ground turkey/ ground ground chicken/ bite -sized chicken thigh (whichever you are using) and saute until thoroughly cooked. Anyway, I am using fresh ground turkey.

Then add in cauliflower rice, ground turmeric, ground cumin, a pinch of ground cayenne, salt and pepper. But I use a little more than 1 tablespoon of turmeric powder for a stronger flavor. That’s why my cauliflower rice has a shaper yellowish color too 😉 You might want to taste first before adding more spices to suit your taste preference. Continue to stir fry for 4 minutes.

Then add in parsley and cook for another 2 minutes. I don’t cook for long as I like the cauliflower rice to be crunchy. If you prefer it to be softer, then cook a little longer.