Cauliflower – 1 large head (or about 4 cups of riced cauliflower)
Onion – 1, medium, finely chopped
Ginger – 1-inch piece, finely chopped
Garlic – 6 to 8 cloves, minced
Carrots – 2, medium, peeled & diced into small pieces
Green peas – ½ cup
Eggs – 2
Light soy sauce – 2 tsp
White vinegar – 2 tsp
Vegetable oil – 4 tbsp
Salt and freshly crushed black pepper to taste
Freshly chopped cilantro to garnish
Instructions
Cut the cauliflower heads into medium size florets. Wash them thoroughly and place the florets in a colander to let them become completely dry. Moisture is the main enemy of fluffy cauliflower rice, so you need to be extra-cautious to eliminate all possible sources of moisture.
Once all the water drips out of the cauliflower florets, I put them inside the freezer for 30 minutes to make them extra dry. This really made a difference in getting the best ever cauliflower rice.
Once your florets are completely dry, you will need to pulse them in your food processor using your chopping blade. Important point to remember here is not to put all florets into the processor at the same time. Pulse 6 to 7 florets at a time until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs or rice. Take them out on a plate and repeat the ricing process with remaining cauliflower florets as above.
To make perfectly fluffy cauliflower rice and avoid getting mushy lump of cauliflower, you need to use a large skillet. Do not use a stockpot or casserole or even a pan with high sides as they tend to hold the moisture inside the pan. A shallow skillet or frying pan is ideal for this job.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the large skillet. Once the oil is hot, drop in the minced garlic and chopped ginger. Sauté them on medium heat for a minute or until fragrant.
Then add the chopped onion and fry them on medium high heat until the onion turns translucent and becomes soft. This would take about 4 to 5 minutes. You don’t need to brown the onion completely.
Next add the diced carrots and green peas. I used fresh green peas which is why I added them along with carrots. If using frozen peas, add them later as specified below.
Cook the carrots and peas on medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until they turn soft and cooked through. Add the vinegar and 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir fry the veggies to mix the seasoning well. Once the veggies are cooked through, take them out on a plate and set aside. If using frozen peas, add them just before taking the carrots out, stir fry quickly for a minute or so and then take them out.
Beat the 2 eggs and season with a pinch of salt. If there is oil left in the skillet, no need to add extra oil for frying the egg. Add the beaten eggs and cook them until set. Then break them into small pieces to make scrambled eggs. Take the scrambled eggs out on a plate and set aside.
Add remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the same skillet and let it become hot. Once the oil is hot, add the riced cauliflower. If your skillet is not big enough, add only half of the cauliflower rice. This is important to ensure that your riced cauliflower don’t turn into a mushy lump as too much cauliflower rice will release lot of water and you will end up with mushy steamed cauliflower instead of fluffy cauliflower rice.
My skillet was also not big enough to hold all the riced cauliflower at one go which is why I did it in 2 batches. After adding the cauliflower rice, spread them over the skillet evenly and let it cook on medium-high heat for couple of minutes without disturbing it. This will ensure that excess moisture evaporates out.
Then stir fry the cauliflower rice on medium high heat until you get a nutty aroma which is the signature flavor of fried cauliflower, about 10 minutes. Season it with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to mix the seasoning thoroughly with the cauliflower rice.
After about 15 minutes, once the cauliflower rice is completely cooked, add the fried carrots, green peas and scrambled eggs. If doing in batches, add half of the fried veggies & eggs reserving the rest for other half of the cauliflower rice. Mix everything well. Check and adjust for seasoning if needed.
Sprinkle freshly chopped cilantro and give a final mix. Serve the warm cauliflower rice with some stir fried chicken or veggies on the side. Enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://www.flavorquotient.com/2019/03/best-ever-cauliflower-rice-recipe/