So who doesn’t love fried rice? It’s a shame it’s not so healthy – until now! Substituting shaved cauliflower for rice is a stroke of genius! It has also brought Chinese fried rice, once relegated to the “comfort food” category, into a weeknight meal rotation. As a fried rice look-alike, this dish can hold its own. The cauliflower is chewy and nubbly in all the right rice-like ways. Bits of egg and tender vegetables also make it a satisfying meal on its own. This still feels like comfort food – just comfort food that’s sneaking a few more vegetables into your day!
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Cauliflower Fried "Rice"
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 8 slices bacon optional
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium carrots diced (about 1 cup)
- 250 gram corn fresh or frozen
- 150 gram peas fresh or frozen
- 4 shallots thinly sliced
- 75 gram cashews almonds, or other nut
- 2 tablespoons to 3soy sauce (or if gluten-free 1 to 2tamari)
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 8 slices bacon optional
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium carrots diced (about 1 cup)
- 250 gram corn fresh or frozen
- 150 gram peas fresh or frozen
- 4 shallots thinly sliced
- 75 gram cashews almonds, or other nut
- 2 tablespoons to 3soy sauce (or if gluten-free 1 to 2tamari)
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Instructions
Cut the cauliflower into florets, discarding the tough inner core. Working in batches, pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it breaks down into rice-sized pieces. You should have 5 to 6 cups of cauliflower "rice."
Cook the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. Once cooled, roughly chop into pieces. Drain off all but a teaspoon of bacon fat (or use 1 teaspoon vegetable oil), reserving the grease.
Place the pan back over medium-high heat. Whisk the eggs and pour them into the skillet. Quickly scramble the eggs or make an omelet. Transfer the eggs to a cutting board and roughly chop into pieces.
Wipe the pan clean and warm 1 tablespoon of bacon fat or vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic, and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the carrots and sauté until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. Stir the corn, peas, and cauliflower "rice" into the pan, mixing the ingredients thoroughly.
Lower the heat to medium, cover the pan, and cook until the cauliflower is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Uncover and stir in the bacon, eggs, green onions, cashews, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Taste and add more soy sauce to taste. Serve immediately.
Leftovers will keep refrigerated for about a week.
This recipe is a great way to jazz up a traditional roast, where the chicken is marinated in yoghurt and spices making it incredibly tender. The flavours here are really fantastic and it’s worth the marinating time. When served on a bed of cardamom couscous, this really becomes something special.
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Indian Style Free Range Chicken w. Cardamom, Almond & Corriander Coucous
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg whole chicken Bannockburn Free Range Chicken
- 2 large onions peeled and cut into thick slices
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 lemon halved
- For the marinade:
- 2 large garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 250 ml natural yogurt
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cardamom pods
- 200 g couscous
- 2 tsp vegetable stock granules
- handful fresh coriander leaves roughly chopped
- 100 g toasted silvered almonds
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg whole chicken Bannockburn Free Range Chicken
- 2 large onions peeled and cut into thick slices
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1 lemon halved
- For the marinade:
- 2 large garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tbsp freshly grated root ginger
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 250 ml natural yogurt
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cardamom pods
- 200 g couscous
- 2 tsp vegetable stock granules
- handful fresh coriander leaves roughly chopped
- 100 g toasted silvered almonds
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Instructions
To make the marinade, mix the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, paprika, olive oil and yogurt in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Slash the chicken legs several times with a sharp knife, then rub the marinade all over the chicken, both inside and out. If time allows put the chicken in a large food bag, or covered in a non-metallic dish, and leave to marinate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours is best.
Take chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before it goes into the oven. Preheat the oven to 230°C. Lay the onions in an oval casserole dish or non metallic roasting pan and then drizzle over the grapeseed oil. Season with salt and pepper and sit the chicken on top.
Put the lemon inside the chicken’s cavity and place in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 200C. Cover the chicken loosely with foil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and roast for another 50 minutes, basting the chicken halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, prepare the couscous. Bash the cardamom pods with the back of a knife and place them in a bowl with the couscous. Add the stock granules and cover with boiling water, cover with cling film and leave until all the water has been soaked up and the couscous is nice a plump. Using a fork fluff up the couscous when it’s ready and fold in the coriander and almonds.
Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before you carve it, then arrange on warmed serving plates with the onions and couscous to serve then drizzle with pan juices.
Recipe Notes
NOTE: You will need a non metallic roasting dish so the acid in the lemon juice doesn't react with it.
