Easy Cauliflower Coconut Fried Rice – Recipe! Whole30 Recipe! Low-Carb & Gluten-Free!

One of my favorite pastimes, that I don’t do very often, is going to Benihana for dinner.  I know I shouldn’t love this place because it’s a chain and the food is just mediocre, but I love the experience of the chef cooking in front of you and the fried rice.  Fried Rice is one of those oil ladened carb mixtures with sauteed onions and tons of soy sauce that doesn’t make you feel so great after consuming however, before the rice actually settles in your stomach, it is delicious.

This month, if you have been reading, I am following the Whole30 Diet and I am creating some fantastic recipes that are within the Whole 30 repertoire and still completely scrumptious.  In doing so, I created the Easy Cauliflower Coconut Fried Rice Recipe, that I think you will love as much as I do.  The trick to making this fried rice dish, is to pulverize a whole head of cauliflower into grain like pieces and cook it hot in a large non-stick skillet.

I added some onions and carrots to the recipe for added texture and flavor and a dash of fish sauce.  Fish sauce is fermented anchovies, salt and water that tastes nutty in nature and gives an intense umami taste without any fishy flavor.  It is very popular in Southeast Asian cuisine and is sometimes used as a dipping sauce.  You can buy fish sauce online at amazon.com or any Asian food stores.

You can eat this rice with a roasted piece of fish or chicken or if you are vegetarian, all by itself.  I think you will have a hard time deciding if this is better than regular fried rice — it is that good.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, washed and dried

1 carrot, washed and peeled

1/2 white onion

2 tablespoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

salt

pepper

1 lime

(Serves 2-4)

To Prepare:

1.  Cut the cauliflower into florets and place them in a food processor.  If the cauliflower is large, only put half in at a time and process it in batches.

2.  Pulverize the cauliflower for 45 seconds or until the pieces look grainy, similar to rice.  Be careful not to process too long, you don’t want mush.

3.  Dice up your onion and carrot and set aside.  In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add the coconut oil.

4.  Add the pulverized or riced cauliflower to the skillet and stir to combine with the oil.  Spread out the cauliflower in the pan and cook for 2 minutes to release any moisture.

5.  Then, add the onion and carrot to the cauliflower and stir to combine.  Spread out the cauliflower again to allow it to begin to slightly brown, about 4 minutes.

6.  Add the fish sauce, coconut and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to the cauliflower and stir to combine.  The cauliflower will darken slightly because of the fish sauce.  Using your spoon, spread the mixture out again to brown and continue to cook, about 5 more minutes.

7.  Cut the lime in half and squeeze out the juice over the rice.  Save the other half of lime to serve with the rice.

8.  Spoon the rice into bowls and serve with the remaining wedges of lime and your favorite protein, if desired.  Enjoy!