Gumbo - Aunt Carmen's

What’s The Best Method To Rice Cauliflower?

Cauliflower has become one of the most versatile vegetables to eat lately, especially when it comes to dieting. Some fad diets call to eliminate or reduce the consumption of processed foods and carbohydrates, leaving some wondering, how can a starch or side dish be substituted to low or no carbs at all. The Paleo and Keto diets are followed by many people who look for alternative recipes to substitute the amount of starch and sugars in food. Some folks may just want to change their diet and eat healthier. So, what could be a great substitute? Cauliflower is the chosen vegetable to reduce the amount of carbohydrates and sugar from your eating patterns.

Choosing Cauliflower

When shopping for cauliflower, inspect it thoroughly as you would choose any other produce item. Make sure that the cauliflower leaves are not wilted and florets are not brownish in color. Cauliflower should be in its characteristic color, which can come in various shades, orange, green, purple and of course white. Check the florets for firmness and tightness against each other. Florets should not contain any dark spots, as this is a sure sign of aging, please put it back and pick another one.

Ways to Rice Cauliflower

There are four simple ways to rice cauliflower.

#1 is by using a box grater. The box grater side with the large holes is my preference. The smaller holes can be used primarily for zesting citrus fruits and grating cheese. It depends how fine you want your cauliflower rice. Put your grater in a large bowl, for the cauliflower to drop into or use a cutting board. Lift the whole cauliflower by the stem or cut pieces at a time with the stem attached, slide it up and down until it resembles crumbs.

#2 An additional way to make cauliflower rice is by using a chef’s knife. Use the chef knife by first cutting the leaves and stems off. The leaves and stems can be stored for later use or you can toss them. Finely chop until reaching the desired texture similar to rice. A cutting board is needed and the non-slip pad underneath your cutting board to prevent slipping and any movement while cutting your cauliflower. If you do not have a non-slip pad, wet a kitchen towel and place it underneath your cutting board instead, it will serve the same purpose. Cut the cauliflower and keep chopping until you have small fine pieces of cauliflower. So easy.

#3 – I wanted to experiment using a pastry blender to test the results of making riced cauliflower. I know that the pastry blender is used mainly when baking, to cut-in fat into flour, but curiosity made me think outside the box. Actually, it worked but, a lot of muscle was needed to achieve the results that you will see towards the end of this blog.

#4 – Using the food processing is another cutting method to rice cauliflower. This process is very quick as it takes a few seconds using the chopping blade or the feed tube on the food processor. Use small amounts of cauliflower at a time when using either method. Using too much cauliflower with the blade will prevent shredding and cause it to stay partially whole. Don’t forget, we are making riced cauliflower, no whole pieces. Thank you!

The best attachment to use on your food processor is the slice/shred disc blade. Place your cauliflower on the top part of the food processor which is called the feed tube. Using the pusher, push the cauliflower down, through the blade, with the riced cauliflower landing into the food processor bowl. There is no need to use the pulse controls as the feed control will complete the job. See the illustration below and follow this quick process of ricing cauliflower. There you have it! Simple and quick! Your cauliflower should look similar to rice.

What’s The Best Cutting Method to Rice Cauliflower?

All four cutting methods to rice cauliflower will give you similar results and would depend on your preference of texture. As you can see in the picture below, there were four ways tested to make riced cauliflower: the box grater, chef knife, pastry blender and the food processor. I tried the food processor using two different methods, but I counted the food processor as one test. I know it sounds confusing. The best method to use when ricing cauliflower is by using the food processor with the slice/shred disc blade. The cauliflower had finer, more uniformed pieces when using the food processor than the other methods. The food processor added a hint more moisture than the other methods as well. Best of all, the food processor with the slice/shred disc blade shredded and riced a head of cauliflower in seconds, whereas the other methods added more preparation time. I am all about saving time when cooking, what about you?

Storing cauliflower

The best method of storing your cauliflower is to place it in a ziploc bag, removing all the air from the bag and placing it in the freezer for longer storage periods of up to two-three months. If refrigerated, allow two – three days in an airtight container or ziploc bag for optimal freshness.

Making Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice

For those following a diet plan to reduce carbohydrates, my Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice is a great substitute for starchy side dishes. Check out my video on making Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice on TikTok and Instagram. So easy. You can do this!!!!

Step One – Rice cauliflower and set aside. (see method above)
Step Two- Using a wok, add sesame oil until heated.
Step Three – Sauté onions and garlic for a few seconds.
Step Four – Add egg, scramble with onions and garlic.
Step Five – Stir in cauliflower, coco aminos and cooked shrimp. You can swap out the shrimps for pork, beef or chicken. It will still turn out just as good with those types of meat.

You can find the complete recipe for my Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice here…