Cauliflower “Rice” Pulao
 Just when I thought that I had nailed down vegan cooking, I was presented with the request for a grain-free side dish. So, much for my standard steamed Basmati rice. And so I created my cauliflower rice pulao. A wholesome and vibrant side dish all in one.
With some thought I decided to give the head of cauliflower in my fridge a chance at masquerading as rice and lo and behold it seemed to do OK, and Cauliflower Rice Pulau was born.
This Mother’s Day, I am reflective and grateful. I have a strong sense of gratitude, as I think about the kids. The joy of mothering them.
Being a mother is one of the many roles that I play in life. Sometime this allows enough time for mothering and other times maybe not so much. However, it is by far the role that I enjoy the most, my children certainly have been one of the best things that happened to me. They have been relatively easy to raise. They often tend to exceed most of my expectations.
I am probably not the best of mother’s, I tend to lose my patience more than I should, however, my children teach me everyday. My older one, my daughter is thoughtful and gentle She and is dedicated and hardworking,
My son is spontaneous and is emotional like me. His face is either sunshine or dark clouds. He is passionate and has an artistic temperament. Eloquent with an amazing way with words. It amazes me how different they both are. Nothing makes me more grateful than having these to amazing young people to call my own.
And, now without much ado, here is the recipe. For perfect flavors, consider this biryani pulao masala. Another variation of cauliflower rice pulao is this one.
A fragrant dish mimicking an Indian pilaf, using cauliflower instead of rice.
Ingredients
- 1 medium sized head of cauliflower
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 2 inch stick cinnamon
- 3 green cardamoms
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced.
- 1 sweet bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Remove the stalks from the cauliflower, cut into large pieces and place in a food processor and process until the texture of coarse couscous, do not over process.
- Set the mixture in a colander to drain.
- In the meantime, heat the oil and add in the cinnamon, green cardamoms and cloves. Add in the onions and cook the onions for about 4 minutes, until the onions are wilted. Add in the bell pepper and cook for another 4 minutes until the bell pepper softens and the onion begins to turn pale golden.
- Add in the cauliflower, and add in the turmeric and cayenne pepper. Stir in the tomato and blending it) and mix well. Stir in the salt.
- Cook for about 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to cook until the cauliflower is fairly dry, do not overcook.
- Stir in the almonds and garnish with cilantro and serve.