Cauliflower "Fried Rice"

 
Skinnytaste.com does it again! I was leary of this one but decided to try it anyway. I, like most parents, am constantly trying to find new ways to get my kids eating vegetables... screw it, like most people I am trying to find new ways to get myself eating more vegetables. This time I made it with all cauliflower but in the future I may play around with the proportions and do half cauliflower/half rice to make it slightly more filling. This recipe is now a combination of the original recipe and our traditional fried rice list of suggestions.

• 1 medium head (about 24 oz) cauliflower, rinsed (or 1/2 a head if using rice also)
• Rice (I usually do white although just made it with brown to increase the nutritional value)
• Veggies, all chopped to bite sized (whatever you have works, although I always try to have mushrooms and some kind of onion... green, white, whatever... frozen peas and carrots reduce the chopping time)
• Soy Sauce
• Fish Sauce (apparently it is the key ingredient)
• Sesame Oil
• Eggs
• Protein, if desired, anything works... chicken, beef, shrimp, scallops

Tips

1. Remove the core and let the cauliflower dry completely. Coarsely chop into florets, then place small batches of the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice or couscous – don't over process or it will get mushy. Set aside and repeat with the remaining cauliflower.
2. If using it, make the rice the day before, let it cool, then put it in the fridge overnight. This prevents the really sticky rice.
3. Fry up everything by itself. First the protein, then the egg, then the vegetables (I do mushrooms and white onions first because they need more time, then peas and carrots and red pepper separate) then the cauliflower and finally the rice. Once it's cooked it can all go in the same bowl, but saute separate, adding a little sesame oil before each batch of stuff and a little soy sauce in each one.
4. If you're using green onions add the white/light green portion in with the white onions and mushrooms but set aside the green portion.
5. Add the cauliflower "rice" to the saute pan along with soy sauce and fish sauce. Mix, cover and cook approximately 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside.
6. When frying the rice, if you let it cool overnight it will be clumpy. Dump it in your wok or frying pan and break it up with a wooden spoon. Drizzle soy and fish sauce over the rice while you are breaking it up and stir.  Then spread the rice out as much as you can on the bottom of your pan or up the sides of the wok. DO NOT STIR IT. Let it sit there and fry for a few minutes. Flip it (or stir it) and do that again. Then add everything back in: your veggies, protein, and egg and stir to combine it all together adding soy sauce until your palate is satisfied.
7. Remove from heat and add the greens of the green onions. Not cooking these at all gives a really nice bite to this dish.

 

Photo and original recipe from skinnytaste.com