This cauliflower rice pilaf | turmeric cauliflower rice is so easy to prepare and taste amazingly delicious! Enjoy it with some refreshing and cooling raita on the side!
Are you looking for some low carb vegetarian recipes and meatless meals?
Are you looking for healthy cauliflower rice recipes or meals with cauliflower rice,? Then you should definitely try this easy turmeric cauliflower rice pilaf with vegetables. Serve it as a side with some protein of your choice for a wholesome meal!
If you are watching your carbs and yet crave for some rice, this cauli rice recipe is great to curb those cravings! With a texture that’s similar to rice, It may satisfy you to some extent.
Meals with cauliflower have been making rounds on the web for quite some time now from a pizza base to mashed cauliflower to flavoured cauliflower rice recipes and much more!
I’m pretty late venturing into this cauliflower rice business, but nevertheless, I’m glad I did! And it’s a good thing for me, now that I’m trying to ‘reduce’ carbs in my diet. No, I cannot eliminate it completely, but I can definitely try to eat sensibly!
Since this is the first cauliflower rice recipe on my blog, I’d like to talk more about it even though I’ve used pre-packaged frozen cauliflower rice in this recipe. If you are interested you may read further or else simply skip to the recipe.
- WHAT IS CAULIFLOWER RICE?
- WHERE CAN I BUY CAULIFLOWER RICE?
- HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER RICE?
- HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER RICE WITHOUT A FOOD PROCESSOR?
- HOW DO YOU COOK CAULIFLOWER RICE AND HOW LONG TO COOK CAULIFLOWER RICE?
- CAN YOU FREEZE CAULIFLOWER RICE?
- HOW TO FREEZE CAULIFLOWER RICE?
- HOW TO COOK FROZEN CAULIFLOWER RICE?
- WHAT TO MAKE WITH RICED CAULIFLOWER?
- STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE TURMERIC CAULIFLOWER RICE PILAF
- HOW TO MAKE TURMERIC CAULIFLOWER RICE PILAF?
- Cauliflower Rice Pilaf | Turmeric Cauliflower Rice
WHAT IS CAULIFLOWER RICE?
It is basically riced cauliflower. It is light, tender and has a bite to it, just like rice. Riced cauliflower looks similar to short grained rice.
WHERE CAN I BUY CAULIFLOWER RICE?
Cauliflower rice is easily available in stores in the produce aisle or in the frozen section. Or make it easily at home.
HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER RICE?
Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower, cut it into smaller florets. Rinse the cauliflower florets in a colander to get rid of any dirt or debris. Let it drain completely. Pulse cauliflower florets in a food processor until its texture resembles that of rice. Do not overdo it, or else it will turn mushy. Do it in batches depending upon the capacity of your food processor.
HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER RICE WITHOUT A FOOD PROCESSOR?
If you do not have a food processor, use a box grater. Cut the cauliflower in half and grate as such or cut it into small florets, grate using the medium-sized hole of the grater.
The other simple method is using the plain good ‘ol knife. Simply mince the florets using a sharp knife. Although it won’t be as even sized and as quick as using a processor!
HOW DO YOU COOK CAULIFLOWER RICE AND HOW LONG TO COOK CAULIFLOWER RICE?
Here are two ways I like to cook cauliflower rice.
You can roast the cauliflower rice, by coating the rice with little oil, salt, and seasonings of your choice. Spread it on a baking sheet, bake at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until it turns golden brown, stirring it 2-3 times during cooking.
Or you can saute it in a skillet with butter, oil, seasonings of your choice. Cover with a lid to steam the cauliflower rice, about 5-7 minute or until tender. Cook for another 1-2 minutes without the lid to dry off any moisture, especially if you are using frozen cauliflower rice. Avoid overcooking cauliflower rice. It can easily become mush in no time!
CAN YOU FREEZE CAULIFLOWER RICE?
Yes, you can freeze cauliflower rice.
HOW TO FREEZE CAULIFLOWER RICE?
After ricing your cauliflower, transfer to a resealable plastic bag as per servings required, remove as much air as possible. Write the quantity and date, store it flat in the freezer. It will last up to 6 months.
HOW TO COOK FROZEN CAULIFLOWER RICE?
Cook it the same way you would with fresh cauliflower rice, you may need an extra minute or two. There is no need to thaw the rice, you can use it directly.
WHAT TO MAKE WITH RICED CAULIFLOWER?
Make the ever popular faux fried rice using cauliflower rice, or make mashed cauliflower, as a stuffing for peppers, wraps, croquettes, salads, add different seasoning for a twist like Mexican, Mediterranean. Or make this Indian style cauliflower rice pilaf seasoned with spices like garam masala and cumin, and is easy to prepare.
This turmeric cauliflower rice pilaf | cauliflower pilau rice is one of the simplest meals ever.I’ve given it an Indian touch with whole spices and flavored it with some Garam Masala as well.
This is my standard way of preparing a spiced pilaf, so I just swapped the basmati rice with some frozen cauliflower rice.
The cauliflower rice pilaf turned out delicious, we enjoyed it with some onion tomato raita.
Cauliflower, being a cruciferous vegetable has a very distinct taste with bitter undertones. The squeeze of lemon juice, in the end, makes some difference and helps eliminate some of that bitterness in this pilaf.
So If you don’t like cauliflower in the first place, you may not like cauliflower rice. Or you could give it a shot with this recipe You may just start liking it.
Having said that, I obviously won’t be swapping my beloved real rice with cauliflower rice all the time. It is a good change from rice every now and then.
If you still can’t get yourself to thinking of this as ‘rice’, simply scoop some of this in a piece of chapati, roti or tortilla and enjoy! Equally delicious 😀 Just like we call it in India- roti sabzi (sauteed or stir-fried veggies served with chapati), a very common everyday meal along with dal and rice.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE TURMERIC CAULIFLOWER RICE PILAF
1.Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet, add whole spices, sauté over medium-low heat until fragrant. You may skip the whole spices.
2.Add cumin seeds, once it crackles, add chopped onions sauté until translucent.
3.Next, add ginger garlic paste, sauté until aromatic.
4.Add the chopped carrots, cook for 1 minute over medium heat, then add bell peppers, cook for another 30 minutes, add snap peas, cook for another 30 seconds.
5.Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
6.Add riced cauliflower, sauté for a minute very gently. Cover and steam for 5 minutes until the cauliflower rice is tender. Do not overcook it, or else it will turn mushy. If it is still uncooked and dry, splash some water to avoid it from sticking at the bottom of the pan.
7.Sprinkle garam masala, lemon juice, give a quick mix. Garnish with cilantro/parsley leaves. Serve hot with a raita for your choice. Enjoy!
HOW TO MAKE TURMERIC CAULIFLOWER RICE PILAF?
Cauliflower Rice Pilaf | Turmeric Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 12 oz / 340 grams frozen riced cauliflower
- Whole spices (1 Bay leaf, 4 peppercorns, 2 cardamoms, 1/2 inch cinnamon stick), optional
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/3 cup finely diced carrots
- 1/3 cup finely chopped bell peppers
- About 8-10 snap peas, cut diagonally
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 2-3 tbsp chopped cilantro/parsley leaves
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet, add whole spices, sauté over medium-low heat until fragrant. You may skip the whole spices.
- Add cumin seeds, once it crackles, add chopped onions sauté until translucent.
- Next, add ginger garlic paste, sauté until aromatic.
- Add the chopped carrots, cook for 1 minute over medium heat, then add bell peppers, cook for another 30 minutes, add snap peas, cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
- Add riced cauliflower, sauté for a minute very gently. Cover and steam for 5 minutes until the cauliflower rice is tender. Do not overcook it, or else it will turn mushy. If it is still uncooked and dry, splash some water to avoid it from sticking at the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle garam masala, lemon juice, give a quick mix. Garnish with cilantro/parsley leaves. Serve hot with a raita for your choice. Enjoy!
I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com
You can also follow me on :
Regards,
Freda
Cauliflower Rice Pilaf | Turmeric Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 12 oz / 340 grams frozen riced cauliflower
- Whole spices (1 Bay leaf, 4 peppercorns, 2 cardamoms, 1/2 inch cinnamon stick), optional
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/3 cup finely diced carrots
- 1/3 cup finely chopped bell peppers
- About 8-10 snap peas, cut diagonally
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 2-3 tbsp chopped cilantro/parsley leaves
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy bottomed skillet, add whole spices, sauté over medium-low heat until fragrant. You may skip the whole spices.
- Add cumin seeds, once it crackles, add chopped onions sauté until translucent.
- Next, add ginger garlic paste, sauté until aromatic.
- Add the chopped carrots, cook for 1 minute over medium heat, then add bell peppers, cook for another 30 minutes, add snap peas, cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
- Add riced cauliflower, sauté for a minute very gently. Cover and steam for 5 minutes until the cauliflower rice is tender. Do not overcook it, or else it will turn mushy. If it is still uncooked and dry, splash some water to avoid it from sticking at the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle garam masala, lemon juice, give a quick mix. Garnish with cilantro/parsley leaves. Serve hot with a raita for your choice. Enjoy!
This Caprese Salad or Insalata Caprese is refreshing, summery and so good! One of the simplest salads, be sure to use fresh ingredients to get the most flavor from this easy Caprese salad!
Caprese simply means food prepared in the Capri style. The Isle of Capri is located in the Campania region of Italy.
Sometimes it is really easy to mess up the simplest of things and Caprese salad happens to be one of them. Because such few ingredients go into this salad, it is imperative to use the best, freshest and choicest ingredients to make this salad worth enjoying.
If you haven’t realized it by now, the colors in this salad, in fact, are representative of the colors of the Italian flag.
- WHAT IS CAPRESE SALAD?
- ORIGIN OF CAPRESE SALAD
- INGREDIENTS IN CAPRESE SALAD
- HOW TO MAKE CAPRESE SALAD?
- SOME OTHER AWESOME THINGS TO TRY WITH TOMATO, MOZZARELLA, AND BASIL LEAVES TRIO
- HERE ARE SOME MORE EASY AND DELICIOUS SALADS TO TRY
- STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE CAPRESE SALAD
- HOW TO MAKE CAPRESE SALAD?
- Caprese Salad | Italian Salad With Mozzarella, Tomatoes & Basil
WHAT IS CAPRESE SALAD?
Caprese (pronounced as kuh-prey-zey or kuh-prey-zee in English or kuh-prey-sey in America) is an Italian salad, made with fresh buffalo mozzarella, ripe, plum tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves. Traditionally, there is no balsamic dressing in this salad. Just good quality olive oil and some sea salt are all you need to season the salad.
ORIGIN OF CAPRESE SALAD
Some sources report it was an invention of a patriotic mason who after World War I loved to enclose the colors of the tricolor inside a fragrant bun. Surely the first historical mention is from the early 1920s when it appeared in the menu at the Hotel Quisisana.
Decades later, precisely in the 1950s, it is reported that King Farouk, asking for something light as an afternoon appetizer, was served a sandwich stuffed with mozzarella, tomato, and basil. It is therefore definitely one of the discoveries of the twentieth century.
With mass tourism, the caprese ceased to be a Capri recipe and became an international dish. Meanwhile, the dish was improved when the traditional vaccine (cow’s milk) mozzarella started to be replaced with bufala mozzarella, a dairy product typical of Campania. {Source- Italyheritage }
INGREDIENTS IN CAPRESE SALAD
There are only 4 basic ingredients that you will need to make Caprese salad
- TOMATOES – Make sure you use tomatoes that are fresh, sweet and juicy. Ideally, tomatoes are at their peak in summer. So this salad is best enjoyed during this season. Don’t even bother making this during the winters, it will just be mediocre. Vine tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, or juicy cherry tomatoes are all great for this salad
- MOZZARELLA CHEESE – As mentioned in the origin of caprese salad, cows (Vacca) milk cheese was used, which was later replaced by fresh buffalo milk mozzarella and since then caprese salad has been prepared using buffalo mozzarella. Water-packet mozzarella cheese is the best for this salad, but it can be a real challenge to find it. If you can, by all means, go ahead and use it. Or use the best, fresh cow’s milk mozzarella you can get hold of. You want it to be rich and creamy and not rubbery.
- BASIL LEAVES – Again basil are in abundance during the summer, yet another good reason for this salad to be made and enjoyed the most during its season. Use the smaller basil leaves for best results. The flavors are fresh and you will enjoy that deliciousness. For this salad, I used my fresh, homegrown basil. If you have no access to fresh basil leaves, you could make a caprese salad with dried basil, but it really will not be the same. I strongly recommend you make this fresh caprese salad with fresh basil leaves.
- EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL – So you don’t need to splurge and get an exorbitantly priced olive oil all the way from Italy. Get the best you can!
And of course, you do need the coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper to season it well. Pepper, though, is optional.
HOW TO MAKE CAPRESE SALAD?
Caprese salad or Insalata Caprese is one of the easiest salads to make. Simply arrange sliced tomato and mozzarella along with basil leaves alternatively on your favorite serving platter. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt and freshly cracked pepper. That’s all!
Now if you don’t like sticking to the traditional version, feel free to drizzle the balsamic reduction or some pesto mixed with olive oil and drizzled over the salad. You can also throw in some olives. Or add some lettuce leaves, either at the bottom of the bowl topped with chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil or torn into pieces and mixed with the tomato and mozzarella cheese, dressed with olive oil, or balsamic or red wine vinegar.
Or make a chopped caprese salad, along with other veggies or fruits.
Personally, I prefer to stick to the simple version, why complicate things, right?
Grilled chicken breasts or any other protein of your choice along with some pasta would go well with a Caprese salad. Even some nice, crusty bread would be wonderful to soak up all those tomato and olive oil juices.
SOME OTHER AWESOME THINGS TO TRY WITH TOMATO, MOZZARELLA, AND BASIL LEAVES TRIO
- Caprese Pizza
- Tomato, and Mozzarella bites | Caprese salad on a stick | Caprese salad skewers with balsamic drizzle
- Caprese pasta salad
- Caprese Sandwich
I have mentioned this before that I’m not a salad person. But I definitely enjoy a good and easy, fuss-free salad that’s packed with flavor and texture. This Caprese salad is just that. The sweet, juiciness from the tomatoes, the rich and creamy mozzarella cheese, the aroma and sweetness from the basil, all tied together with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper! Nothing beats this humble yet downright delicious salad.
Whatever you choose to make, this tomato, basil, mozzarella appetizer is a sure shot crowd pleaser. It not only is simple to put together, but those colors are really pretty as well! You can easily make this Caprese salad recipe for a large crowd too, use cherry tomatoes and small mozzarella balls, combine everything in a large bowl, add chopped fresh basil leaves and season the salad well!
You should definitely try this easy Caprese salad recipe before the summer ends! Buon appetito!
HERE ARE SOME MORE EASY AND DELICIOUS SALADS TO TRY
- Watermelon Cucumber Feta Salad with mint and basil
- Mediterranean quinoa and chickpea salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Blood Orange Salad
- Greek Salad
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE CAPRESE SALAD
1.Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices.
2.Cut the mozzarella into 1/4-inch thick round slices.
3.Arrange alternate slices of tomato and mozzarella on a serving platter. Place a basil leaf in between the tomato and mozzarella slices.
4.Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Drizzle the olive oil. Serve immediately.
NOTE
1.If you do not like the whole basil leaves, tear it by hands into smaller bits. Avoid using a knife to chop the basil.
HOW TO MAKE CAPRESE SALAD?
Caprese Salad | Italian Salad With Mozzarella, Tomatoes & Basil
Ingredients1x2x3x
- 12 oz / 340 grams tomatoes on the vine, about 3 tomatoes
- 8 oz / 225 grams fresh mozzarella cheese
- About 10 basil leaves
- Coarse sea salt, to season
- Freshly ground black pepper, to season
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, or as required
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick slices.
- Cut the mozzarella into 1/4-inch thick round slices.
- Arrange alternate slices of tomato and mozzarella on a serving platter. Place a basil leaf in between the tomato and mozzarella slices.
- Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Drizzle the olive oil. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you do not like the whole basil leaves, tear it by hands into smaller bits. Avoid using a knife to chop the basil.
I would love to hear from you, please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at aromaticessence77@gmail.com
You can also follow me on :
Facebook @ Aromaticessence
Pinterest @ Aromatic Essence
Instagram @ aromatic_essence77
Twitter @ freda_dias
Regards,
Freda
