Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

Or you can call this fake fried rice because there isn't a grain of rice in it. Huh? Sounds strange? When you are on a carbohydrate restricted diet, you will start twitching for your carbs. Name your poison - rice, noodles, pasta, bread, potatoes, cakes (cheesecake I miss you....), ice-cream and the list goes on and on and on. 

Recently I saw Esther's Fried Cauliflower Rice and then later I chanced upon nom nom paleo on Kelly Siew's post. Here I found Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice and I was determined to give it a go. For anyone interested in paleo diets, please spend some time at nom nom paleo where you will be inspired and motivated. Besides, it is fun to read as Michelle Tam is very witty and entertaining.

Yes, I am suffering from carbohydrate withdrawal symptoms. And why am I embarking on this self-torture? I have no choice because my waistband is killing me and my "samchan bak" (belly fats) runneth over. 

To prepare the fake rice, I sort of combined Esther and Michelle's method. Before grating the cauliflower, Esther microwaved the cauliflower until just cooked whereas Michelle pulsed the raw cauliflower in a food processor. What I did was grate the raw cauliflower.

There is no specific recipe, just use your usual fried rice recipe and replace rice with grated cauliflower. I basically used leftover roast pork which has been in the freezer (for how long it has been there only God knows), longs beans and spring onions. Important point to note is not to overcook the cauliflower. Once your other ingredients are adequately fried, toss in the grated cauliflower and give it a quick stir-fry over high heat.

So how was it? You cannot imagine how happy I was after my initial two mouthfuls. I was very pleased the fried "rice" was delicious and the cauliflower gave it a grainy mouth feel akin to rice. Now I don't have to miss out on fried rice even though it's not the real thing. Quite honestly, I was a bit skeptical at first but not anymore. To anyone who is not convinced, give this rice substitute a go and let me know what you think!