Basic Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients

• 4 cups riced cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons butter or neutral oil
• Salt, to taste
• Up to 3 tablespoons stock or water, only if needed
• Up to 3 teaspoons soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, optional

Method

1. Dry the 4 cups riced cauliflower using either method:
2. Dry-sauté: Place it in a wide pan over medium heat with no fat. Cook, stirring frequently, until visible steam subsides, excess moisture has evaporated, and the cauliflower smells less vegetal.
3. Roast: Spread it in a thin layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast at 400°F / 205°C for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway, until slightly toasted and no longer steaming heavily.
4. Stop when the cauliflower is tender and relatively dry, not deeply browned or mushy.
5. Add the butter or oil and toss to coat.
6. Season with salt and, when appropriate for the accompanying dish, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
7. Add stock or water only if the cauliflower needs light hydration. Cook briefly until tender and separated, without making it wet.

Cauliflower–Konjac Rice

Ingredients

• 3 cups riced cauliflower
• 1 cup prepared konjac rice
• 2 tablespoons butter or neutral oil
• Salt, to taste
• Up to 3 tablespoons stock or water, only if needed
• Up to 3 teaspoons soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, optional

For a more resilient structural grain, use 2 cups each riced cauliflower and prepared konjac rice. The konjac texture will be more noticeable.

Method

1. Dry the 3 cups riced cauliflower using either method:
2. Dry-sauté: Place it in a wide pan over medium heat with no fat. Cook, stirring frequently, until visible steam subsides, excess moisture has evaporated, and the cauliflower smells less vegetal.
3. Roast: Spread it in a thin layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast at 400°F / 205°C for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway, until slightly toasted and no longer steaming heavily.
4. Stop when the cauliflower is tender and relatively dry, not deeply browned or mushy.
5. Rinse the prepared konjac rice thoroughly under cold water.
6. Dry-sauté the konjac rice in a separate pan over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates and it begins to squeak slightly.
7. Combine the dried cauliflower and konjac rice. Add the butter or oil and toss to coat.
8. Season with salt and, when appropriate, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Add stock or water only if needed for light hydration.
9. Cook briefly until integrated, tender, and lightly separated.

For the one-to-one version, follow the same method with 2 cups riced cauliflower and 2 cups prepared konjac rice.

Pressed Cauliflower Rice

For when a recipe requires a compressed block of rice, such as for Musubi. Makes enough for 2 small pressed portions, such as 2 servings of musubi.

Ingredients

• 1 cup riced cauliflower (about 150 grams)
• ¼ cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• ½ teaspoon finely ground psyllium husk powder
• ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon cool water
• 1 teaspoon white or yellow miso paste
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon erythritol or allulose, optional

Method

1. Spread the 1 cup riced cauliflower in a thin layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast at 400°F / 205°C until tender and relatively dry, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway. Do not add any ingredients from the basic or cauliflower–konjac versions.
2. Cool the roasted cauliflower for about 5 minutes so it is warm rather than piping hot.
3. Put the cool water in a small ramekin or prep bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface and let it bloom for 5 minutes.
4. Microwave the bloomed gelatin for 10 seconds, until melted and pourable.
5. Put the warm cauliflower in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the melted gelatin over it and toss immediately until the cauliflower is evenly coated.
6. Add the mozzarella and miso. Stir until the cheese softens and coats the cauliflower. If necessary, warm the mixture for 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave and stir again; do not let it become wet or greasy.
7. Mix in the psyllium, vinegar, salt, and optional sweetener until evenly distributed.
8. Refrigerate for 1 hour. The finished mixture should be slightly tacky and hold together firmly when compressed. Press it in the mold specified by the dish using it; for musubi, divide it according to the assembly instructions in Musubi.

Notes

• Fresh or frozen riced cauliflower may be used. Thaw frozen cauliflower completely and squeeze out as much water as practical before drying it in the pan or oven.
• Konjac rice is optional and harder to source than cauliflower. The basic version should remain fully usable without it.
• The pressed version is bound with gelatin, psyllium, and mozzarella. It does not use raw egg; any cooked egg layer belongs to the assembled dish rather than to this rice mixture.
• Add cauliflower rice late to saucy dishes. It does not swell and absorb liquid like uncooked rice and becomes mushy when simmered too long.
• Finished yield for the basic and hybrid batches still needs to be measured. Scale by the ingredient ratios until a tested input-to-yield conversion is recorded.

Storage

• Refrigerate basic or hybrid cauliflower rice in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat in a skillet over medium heat when possible so excess moisture can evaporate. If using a microwave, heat uncovered or loosely covered and stir midway.
• Freezing the finished basic or hybrid rice is not recommended because the cauliflower releases water and loses structure after thawing.
• Refrigerate pressed cauliflower rice promptly and use it within 3 days.

Related

• Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Étouffée
• Gumbo
• Loco Moco
• Musubi

Inspirations

• Nom Nom Paleo: Easy Cauliflower “Rice”