Cauliflower “Fried Rice”

cauliflower "fried rice"

cauliflower “fried rice”

I had seen a few other recipes online for this non-grain “fried rice,” so I decided to do my own riff. I was actually quite amazed at how much this is texturally akin to fried rice. I don’t really eat a lot of rice in general, so, I thought I’d prefer this, and, after making it, I do! It’s totally adaptable, in that you can use whatever ingredients you like: bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, pea pods, scallions, etc.

  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 leek, sliced thin, thoroughly washed
  • 1/2C thinly sliced carrots
  • 1/2C peas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1tsp shredded ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1TB olive oil
  • 2TB low-sodium tamari (or more to taste)
  • Siracha or hot sauce
  • 1-2tsp rice vinegar
  • 1/2TB sesame oil

Cut cauliflower into florets, add to food processor and pulse until it resembles grains of rice (depending on how large the head of cauliflower is, you may have to do a few batches). Don’t over-process because it will quickly turn into mush, which you do not want. For the leeks, make sure your sliced leeks are thoroughly washed and free of sand too. I slice them, and then let them soak in a bowl of water, then drain in a colander, repeat a few times.

Heat wok pan or large sauté pan and add olive oil. Then add leeks and garlic and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the leeks have wilted and cooked down, slightly browned. Add carrots and peas, cook for another few minutes, until tender. Then add cauliflower. Stir until combined. Let the mixture cook down a bit, stirring occasionally. Push mixture to the sides and create a small space in the center of the pan and add the beaten eggs. (Make sure the heat is medium to high). Stir to combine, and the eggs will fry.
*Add the sesame oil, hot sauce, vinegar and tamari. Let this cook on medium for 15-20 minutes. Just eyeball it and see if it’s cooked down (it will).

Note: It might be easier to combine the sesame oil, vinegar, hot sauce and tamari beforehand, rather than adding to pan. That way, you can adjust to seasonings and not have super hot “fried rice” like I did (which I don’t mind at all).

Got wine? This goes well with a nice, mineral-ly, crisp white wine.