Indian Chinese | low calorie cauliflower rice | quick & SIMple

My love for the sweet, spicy Chinese flavours go back to my childhood. My mom and grandmom make the most amazing Chinese food. In school my friends would come over demanding Chinese. Very rarely did we need to eat Chinese outside because our home cooked food was so good. We even made our own chilli sauce that people would beg to buy. I still eat Chinese at least 3 times a week but I adapt it a lot for daily consumption. When I'm entertaining I switch back to my mom's legendary recipes.  This is a very basic recipe that any one can make. 

INGREDIENTS

½ large cauliflower
¼ cup carrot chopped in small squares
¼ cup all colour capsicum chopped small
¼ cup beans chopped small
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped garlic
A handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly torn (optional)
2 tsp oil of choice
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp sugar of choice
Salt and pepper to taste
 

METHOD

1. Wash and thoroughly dry cauliflower, then remove all greens. Cut and put the cauliflower in a large container and cover with boiling water and salt. Let soak for 5 minutes before gently lifting our the pieces.
2. If using a grater, cut the cauliflower into large chunks and use the medium-sized holes (the side commonly used to grate cheese), to grate into "rice." If using a mixer grinder, cut into small pieces and in small batches blend for 5 seconds to cauliflower "rice." 
3. Transfer to a clean muslin cloth ( like used for paneer) or paper towel and press to remove any excess moisture, which can make your dish soggy.
4. Add 2 tsp oil to a pan along with chopped garlic and saute till garlic starts to turn golden
5. Add the chopped vegetables and cook on high for 2 – 3 mins
6. Add the cauliflower and basil leaves and cook for 5 – 8 mins
7. Add in the soy sauce, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar and mix well
8. Serve hot with a side of chilli sauce

 
 
NOTES :

1. Once you have your cauliflower rice, it's easy to cook (or enjoy raw)! Simply sauté in a large pan over medium heat in 1 Tsp oil. Cover with a lid so the cauliflower steams and becomes more tender. Cook for a total of 5-8 minutes, then season as desired (such as with soy sauce or salt and pepper).
2. Use cauliflower rice in recipes that call for rice, such as stir fries, fried rice or palau ! Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
3. You can also divide into meal size portions and store uncooked cauliflower rice in the freezer up to 1 month. Shift to the refrigerator section in the evening and cook the next morning
4. Add the garlic with the cold oil and let them heat up together. This infuses the garlic flavour into the oil and prevents the garlic from burning quickly.