Perfect Cauli Rice
Faux carbs are fast were one of last year’s biggest trends, with cauliflower, courgette, broccoli and butternut squash all featuring in interesting new shapes and sizes in every supermarket.
Cauliflower rice is the perfect introduction to these grain alternatives. You just need a food processor to blitz the florets into rice-like pieces that can then be microwaved, pan-fried or roasted to create a light, fluffy rice-like addition to meals of all kinds.
Experimenting with flavours is all part of the fun. You will find your own personal favourite way of cooking it. Here’s how to get started…
MAKE IT
Remove the outer leaves, cut into florets and remove most of the thick core. If you have a large cauliflower, blitz half the cauliflower at a time. Pulse until the cauliflower resembles rice or cous cous. If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate it but it will take a lot longer and you will be left with a slightly chunkier texture. Once you’ve created the cauliflower rice, you can store it covered in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for two months.
My favourite way to cook cauliflower rice is to steam it or roast it. To steam, just put it in a metal sieve over a covered pan of boiling water - or indeed use your steamer - it takes about 5 minutes! If I've got the oven on, I'll roast it, dizzling it with a little olive oil and spread it into a roasting tray for 15 mins at 180˚C, mixing it half way through cooking. Season with salt after cooking so it doesn’t go soggy.
I like to experiment with flavour, adding a little cumin, chilli and some chopped coriander to the mix, but I have equally experimented with a little garlic, rosemary and, sparingly, finely grated lemon zest.
You can also microwave it. Simply put it in a heatproof bowl, covered with cling film for three minutes on high.
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