I’ve heard all about the wonderful ways you can substitute potatoes with cauliflower, like mash and rice, but it never appealed to me. Until I came across the stir-fried ‘rice’, and decided to give it a try.
Low-carb, gluten free , Paleo friendly, AND affordable! The first time I made this, nobody knew it was cauliflower because the texture is so grainy and it loses its veggie flavor when stir fried with other ingredients. You can add anything you like to this, but something I wouldn’t omit is the ginger.
Here is the step-by-step recipe.
What you need for the stir-fry:
2 medium cauliflowers, 2 leeks, 2 cloves garlic, 1 heaped teaspoon ginger, two handfuls baby spinach, one handful almonds, 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, half a chilli, olive oil, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce.
You need to prep all the ingredients before you start cooking because you’ll toss everything into the wok quickly and won’t have time to run around.
I start with my almonds, toasted in a heavy based pan and crushed (put into a plastic bag and hammer with a heavy object).
Next is the cauliflower prep. This part is important. Rinse under running water and then shake out excess water and dry with a kitchen towel thoroughly. Break into pieces so its easy to grate or process. You want the ‘flower to be as dry as possible so it doesn’t steam and cook in the wok.
Now for the ricing part. If you don’t have a food processor or similar appliance with a grating attachment, you can use a grater. I tested this and it looks very similar, but a lot more time consuming.
Hand grated
I used the Jamie Oliver chopping tower than came with the Home Cooker.
This result is crumbly, loose and light. If it still feels too wet, squeeze with a clean dish cloth.
Next, chop up your leeks, ginger and garlic. Ginger is scarce at the moment in SA, and if you do find it the price is ridiculously high. I was told there was a flood that damaged the ginger crops. But this dish will not work out if you don’t have ginger, so I bought a jar of the crushed variety.
Garlic and chilli
Now that everything is prepped, turn on the wok on the highest heat and add a splash of oil and the leeks.
Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and keep stirring until slightly golden, then add the sesame.
Stir some more, you’ll hear the sesame popping! Then toss in the cauliflower (heat still on very high) and continue stirring. The bottom will stick, but scrape it and and fold it over for about 2-3 minutes.
Then add a tablespoon or two of oyster sauce and a splash of soy, stir (they don’t call it a stir fry for nothing) and add your almonds.
Add your washed, dried and torn up baby spinach. It will shrink down to a fraction of the raw amount, so don’t skimp.
And then you have your Rice
Next is the chicken.
In a small bowl, mix together 1/3 cup dark soy, 3 generous tablespoons honey, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger and juice of half a small lemon. Cut up four chicken breasts into cubes and pour over the mix.
In the pan you used to toast the almonds (so washing up is easier), add some olive oil and 2 tablespoons sesame.
Add the chicken and all the marinade and let it bubble away, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
You’ll know when its ready when the sauce leave a trail like this. Taste a chicken cube to be sure, and also check for seasoning.
Now it’s ready to serve.
We consulted the Magic 8 Ball to check if this is the new delicious family favorite.
Win!!
I hope you try this, and enjoy! Please leave me a comment if you do to let me know how yours turned out and if you made your own version.
Thanks for reading xx