 |
| Cauliflower Rice Pulao |
Hello hello! I am super excited about today's recipe - a wonderfully fragrant and vibrant Indian-style pulao, made with cauliflower instead of rice. I made it as part of an Indian themed meal prep, to accompany some curries, and was so blown away by the pulao that I thought it deserved its own post! It's so easy to make, super tasty, and for those of you who this concerns - low carb, gluten and grain free, vegetarian and vegan. Perhaps a good option if you're trying to even out the excesses of the easter period! (I'll be posting about the whole meal as a Meal Prep Monday soon - keep your eyes peeled!)
I'm not super strict about it, but I try to keep my meal preps as healthy and varied as possible - including lots of fresh vegetables, lean protein and fibre, and minimising excess fat and carbs. The way I see it, if I'm inhaling a meal at my desk, it may as well be doing me good! Health concerns aside, I find that eating a carb-heavy lunch can make me quite sleepy in the afternoon, so that's another consideration.
So, when I made my curries for the week ahead, I thought cauliflower rice might be a nice accompaniment rather than the usual rice or flatbread. (All the vitamins and fibre of the cauliflower, none of the soporific carbs).
On a whim I decided to give it a Kashmiri pulao kinda vibe. I whizzed up the cauliflower in a food processor, then cooked the rubble in some fragrant and delicious coconut oil. Vegetable oil would work too, and ghee would be perfect (although obviously not vegan). I added turmeric and other spices for flavour and a gorgeous yellow colour, then tossed through toasted cashews and dried fruit at the end. (I toasted the cashews in a dry frying pan, but come to think of it you could totally fry the cashews in a little ghee for even more deliciousness. I'll try this next time - or if someone else tries it in the meantime, please report back!)
 |
| Cauliflower Rice Pulao |
And that was it! It took less than fifteen minutes to make, and was so incredibly delicious. I know I made this with health concerns in mind, but it certainly didn't feel like self-sacrificing "diet" food. It was just a great dish. If you are trying to cut down on carbs or calories, then I think this would be the perfect recipe for you. The texture of the cauliflower is rather like couscous (and actually check out my cauliflower couscous recipe), and it works really well as a base for curries or other dishes with lots of sauce or gravy. I would happily eat this pulao any day (or night) of the week.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Cauliflower Rice PulaoHave you made this recipe? Leave a comment below! Tag me on Instagram @sarahcooksblog and hashtag #sarahcooksblog
A recipe by Sarah Cooks
Ingredients
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or vegetable oil or ghee)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 cup cashews
2 tablespoons currants or raisins
Small handful fresh coriander, to serve
Method
Chop the cauliflower into medium florets. Place in a food processor and pulse until it turns into small pieces, like rice or couscous.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Add the cauliflower rubble and stir through.
Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander, and stir until the spices are evenly distributed through the cauliflower.
Meanwhile, toast the cashews in a dry frying pan until golden brown.
Add the toasted cashews to the cauliflower rice with the currants, stir through and cook for a further minute.
Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander to serve
Serves 3-4 as a side, depending on what you serve it with
Posts
