Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my cauliflower fried rice soggy? ›

The sogginess comes from cooking your fried rice at too low a heat and for too long, so all the water comes out from the cauliflower. Make sure to cook your fried rice at medium high to high heat to ensure your rice stays as dry as possible.

As far as we can tell, it's the same thing, just a different name. The term “cauliflower rice” didn't become an internet sensation until around 2012. But ever since then, this nutrient-rich rice substitute has been booming in popularity!

Frozen has nearly identical nutritional values to fresh cauliflower rice. Similar to fresh produce that's available to us when it's fully ripened and at its nutritional peak, frozen produce is also processed at its prime, which means vital nutrients are maintained even long after sitting in the freezer aisle for weeks.

The fact that it's a vegetable makes cauliflower automatically good for you. Additionally, cauliflower is packed with nutrients that give it unique benefits, such as fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K and choline. These properties give you a good reason to eat it frequently or even daily.

Cauliflower rice is a nutritious alternative to rice that's low in calories and carbs. It may even provide a number of benefits, such as boosting weight loss, fighting inflammation, and even protecting against certain illnesses. What's more, it's simple to make and can be eaten raw or cooked.

However, rice can be high in calories and carbohydrates, meaning it will fill you up without providing you with many additional nutrients. Substituting cauliflower rice for white rice is a great way to get more antioxidants while reducing calories and carbohydrates in order to save room for other nutrient dense foods.

Cauliflower, like all cruciferous vegetables (cabbages, mustard, broccoli, etc.) contains sulfur compounds which will begin to smell when the vegetable is overcooked. Blanching, roasting or steaming just until the cauliflower is fork tender will keep it from smelling up your kitchen.

Overcooking It

"When it is riced it's really easy for it to turn mushy from overcooking and then it won't hold up as well in your dishes where you're trying to use it to substitute rice," says Maggie Michalczyk, MS, RD.

How do you thicken riced cauliflower? ›

The key to a thicker consistency is to drain the steamed cauliflower really well before pureeing or blending it up. Put the puree back into the warm pan and add grated cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and you should have a nice, thick texture. You can also add a keto thickener like glucomannan or xanthan gum.

Cheaper: Making riced cauliflower from scratch will save you money in the grocery store. A head of cauliflower is cheaper than buying fresh or frozen riced cauliflower. Tastes Great: Because it's made fresh, it also tastes better. You can use it in any recipe that calls for rice.

Cauliflower rice is a food trend with some surprising benefits. Instead of using traditional rice, some people use shredded or grated cooked cauliflower as a low-carb, low-calorie alternative. Cauliflower works as a rice substitute because it has a mild taste and you can cook it in a variety of ways.

While they are both very nutritious vegetables, broccoli has a higher vitamin content, specifically in vitamin K and C, than cauliflower and is specifically known to be great for eye health. Broccoli florets also provide more minerals and fiber as well as contains vitamin A that isn't in cauliflower.

When you fry cauliflower with batter, it also cooks the cauliflower. So if you parboil beforehand, you will end up with mushy cauliflower. With the no-parboil technique, the cauliflower will still be fully cooked through, but have an incredible no-mush texture.

If you want to prevent your cauliflower rice from being soggy, you might want to try pan-frying your rice or roasting it in the oven. Adding a bit of oil and cooking it on a high heat will remove some of the moisture and help it crisp up!

First, take care not to overcrowd your pan; if the cauliflower is packed in rim-to-rim, the moisture will not be able to escape as the florets cook, which will result in soft steamed cauliflower instead of roasted. Next, don't be overly generous with the oil — a light coating is what we're after here.

For one, it doesn't absorb liquid like rice does, so riced cauliflower alongside stews and curries will be more watery.