Cauliflower Fried Rice - Super easy recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make cauliflower rice not crispy? ›

Once you have your cauliflower rice, it's easy to cook! Simply sauté in a large skillet over medium heat in 1 Tbsp oil. Use a lid to cover so the cauliflower steams and becomes more tender. Cook for a total of 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, then season as desired (such as with soy sauce or salt and pepper).

To give your dish that signature fried rice taste, you'll need to drizzle in sesame oil and soy sauce, but feel free to use as much or as little as you wish. You can even mix in things like garlic powder, ginger root, or Sriracha sauce and chili pepper for a bit of a kick.

MSG is a flavor enhancer similar to salt that has gotten a bad reputation over the years. If you have personal concerns with this, then leave it out. However, MSG adds umami flavor to the rice which imitates that classic fried rice you get from Chinese takeout.

If you're planning to roast the cauliflower whole or slice it into steaks, slice off the thick stem at the base. Drop the whole cauliflower head upside-down into cool, salted water. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes to remove dirt, residue and bugs.

In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and cauliflower and sauté until heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice to help remove any bitterness from the raw cauliflower.

We all know soy sauce and MSG play a role in making delicious fried rice, but did you know a secret ingredient hailing from Japan can elevate your homemade fried rice? And that ingredient, while it might not be in your pantry yet, is mirin.

A hot pan is a must

You don't need a wok for great fried rice but you do need a good nonstick pan or a well-seasoned cast iron pan. And don't add the rice before the pan is hot. “A cold pan is a recipe for sticking,” says Man. "When you add a neutral oil, it should move freely, with a shimmer.

Chinese don't do butter in the fried rice, thats mainly an American-Japanese teppanyaki (aka “hibachi”) restaurant thing. And yes, use unsalted so that you can control the seasoning with soy sauce, MSG, chicken powder, salt, or whatever else you're adding to your fried rice.

What oil do Chinese takeaways use for fried rice? - Quora. They use soybean oil. It's cheap and has a high smoke point, making it ideal for wok cooking.

Instead, adding a drizzle of sesame oil or even sesame paste to your fried rice after it cooks may be your best course of action. Sesame seeds also make a yummy garnish, though they don't taste quite the same or add nearly as much flavor as sesame oil.

What is fried rice syndrome? ›

Fried rice syndrome is caused by a bacterium called Bacillus cereus, which is present in these types of starchy foods prior to cooking. Bacillus cereus is a heat-resistant bacteria, so even recooking foods that have not been appropriately refrigerated can result in food poisoning.

The answer: high heat, expert tosses, and something known as 'wok hei. ' As J. Kenji López-Alt writes for Serious Eats, expert cooking with a wok (and the gas range it requires) is one of the main reasons that fried rice from a Chinese restaurant tastes so much better than what you can make at home.

After cooking for the recommended period of time, if the rice is still hard or chewy, add a little bit of water to create more steam (for every cup of uncooked rice used, add about 2 tablespoons of water). Cover the pot tightly and place over very low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Let rest before serving.

"Be sure to give each floret a bit of room so that the they have space for airflow. I'd also recommend baking them on a silicone baking mat," says Blay. The edges will get much crispier than they would if you baked them on parchment paper.

Next, when I tried making the crusts from scratch, pulsing cauliflower florets in the food processor and then steaming them for a few minutes until tender, I learned another crucial step: squeezing the cauliflower in a kitchen towel to get rid of as much liquid as possible. That helps avoid sogginess.

Store in the refrigerator: When storing cauliflower in the fridge, keep it as moisture-free as possible. Wrap the whole head of cauliflower in a perforated plastic bag, and put it in the crisper drawer to allow air exchange. Placing the cauliflower stem-up will help avoid condensation on the head.