Dear Reader, a few weeks ago, it has been a miserable week in the Elliott household. I was sick with a cough and a upper respiratory infection and confined to bed. I’m usually a self sufficient patient especially when I’m at home by myself during the day but at times, I can be melodramatic. I was feeling sorry for myself.
“Can I please have a massage?” I asked Mr NQN who was busy doing something on the computer one night.
“In a minute” he said. Minutes passed, about twenty in fact (and yes I was counting). I lay on my side dramatically before whispering, “you’re being very bad and ignoring her…”
“What did you say?” Mr NQN asked.
“I didn’t say anything, I’m quite sure that that was your guilty conscience talking” I replied with one eye on him while I moaned dramatically before letting out the squawk of a parrot just to let him know that I not kidding around.
Then, a couple of days later, it happened. Mr NQN got sick just as I was getting better. He spent two days fast asleep without his phone in his hand (a sure sign that he really was sick) and tired of soup and congee, I knew what I wanted to make. It had to be easy because I didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but it had to be packed with nutrient rich vegetables. So I decided to make this cauliflower fried rice.
You may have heard of it before-where carb heavy rice is substituted with finely chopped cauliflower. Everything is stir fried together and it turns from a calorific but tasty family favourite dish to one that is much more nutritious, fibre filled and lower in fat. Mr NQN wasn’t eating much so I thought that I would have leftovers for lunch the next day or even dinner the next day. But apparently, even though he is lukewarm about fried rice, he is enthusiastic about cauliflower fried “rice”!
So tell me Dear Reader, do you try and eat low carb from time to time? Do you think that it helps with losing weight? And do you feel like you eat enough vegetables in your diet?
Cauliflower Fried “Rice”
Serves 4, approximately 265 calories per serve
- 4 cups raw cauliflower (about 540g)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 teaspoons oil for frying
- 2 eggs
- 200g/7ozs prawns in shell, shelled and diced or 100g/3.5ozs prawns shelled, diced
- 1 Lup Cheong Chinese sausage, diced (substitute with chicken if you want it lower in fat)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 cups peas
- 1/2 cup tinned corn kernels
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
2. Heat a large wok or frypan to medium heat (I put it as a 6 out of 10) and add one teaspoon of oil. Beat the eggs and then when the pan or wok has heated, fry them as a large, flat omelette. Remove from the pan and slice into strips using a knife or a pair of scissors and set aside (this doesn’t get added until the very end).
3. Heat another teaspoon of in the pan on high heat and fry the onion until fragrant, add in prawn meat and fry until almost cooked. Add in lup cheong and cook for another minute tossing in the pan or wok. Transfer all of this mixture to the big bowl of seasoned cauliflower and stir to combine everything.
4. Fry the peas and carrots and fry for a couple of minutes. Then turn up the heat to medium to high and add the big bowl of cauliflower to the wok and fry everything for a few minutes, to give it all a nice breath from the hot wok-it shouldn’t take long but just be sure to toss it well. Add the egg slices and check for seasoning (I always like more white pepper here) and then ladle onto a serving plate.
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60 Comments | Add your own
So colorful and extremely palatable!
Cheers,
Rosa
I just started using cauliflower as rice not long ago, I adore this recipe and will make it for sure! As for carbs I highly recommend you watch the movie Fat Head
I may be a big girl, but, whenever sick, I still appreciate a little TLC.
And, for me, breathy suggestions and subliminal messages, never work.
However, barking like an injured seal always renders good results. Try it next time
Lorraine, that cauliflower dish has all the elements that I love in a healthy (and delicious) dish. I intend to make it this week. Thank you
No low carb for me. I am Italian I could die without carbs! But I do try to do vegetarian or low cal sometimes and this recipe looks great to me!
I definitely don’t get enough veg in my diet. This “rice” looks good. I have had a microwave version of cauliflower rice from Jane Kennedy’s books.
I hope you’re both on the mend now, you poor things
Men are usually so dramatic when they’re sick with Man Flu, so I guess Mr NQN felt ill indeed if he was detached from his phone!
Great recipe Lorraine, it would be a great way to get kiddies to eat extra veggies as well. We never order fried rice when we eat out, and I always make it with brown rice at home, but I will definitely be giving this a go and passing it on to my paleo friends x
My sister has this but just the cauliflower and uses it as a side in place of rice. I’m not totally convinced but I wouldn’t mind your version with all the extra flavour!
Here in Lakeland FL USA, when my household gets sick, we want chicken soup with noodles, celery carrots and onions. We use a whole chicken and boil it to provide the broth, when chicken is cooked,it comes out and meat is removed from the bones and chopped up. It gets added back to the pot after the carrots and noodles are done.
Oh I can’t wait to try this. I’m currently doing the Michelle Bridges 12 week challenge and am constantly on the lookout for recipes that are around the 300 calorie mark. (Lets just say there’s not a whole lot of cake going on in my life right now!)
I hadn’t heard of substituting cauli for rice but if Mr NQN gave it the nod then I know it will be popular at our house too!
I can certainly feel for you both, I’m STILL sick from a cold I picked up in October; the doctor finally sent me for X-rays and a blood test (for mono, can you believe it?). I’m so tired of feeling this way, and my throat is still so sore. I’m usually self sufficient too, but this bout has sent me craving soup all the time without energy to make it myself.
I try to eat low carb most of the time, it’s a struggle to manage my weight at my age without doing so (it’s a struggle even with!) and by carbs I also control carrots, beets, peas, corn, all starchy vegetables and the obvious!
I know I eat plenty of vegetable because I enjoy them so much. I have the problem of forgetting to eat meat. I love my vege so much that I lean towards vegetarian recipes and have to remind myself to eat red meat occasionally. I really like the look of this recipe and I will be giving it a try
What a great idea! I suspect that I could even slip this one past the kids – who hate cauli – without too many complaints, thanks.
Yum! Hope you are both a-ok now!! Love the sound and look of this. I generally follow a low carb diet and try to pack in lots of fresh vegetables as much as I can. It has definitely helped me lose weight
Bad Mr NQN you poor thing
Lovely recipe and as I have gone paleo and lost 12kg in 3 month I am going to try this soon – minus the corn. Looks yummy, thanks Lorraine
Gorgeous! I love using cauliflower as rice xox
You’ve read my mind Lorraine! It’s like you knew i just bought a huge head of cauliflower
What a smart, low fat and carb way to eating fried rice! WOO HOO that’s great! I’m definitely going to give this a go! I try to eat low-carb when I can because hehe I eat way too many carbs with pastries, cakes and bakes hahha
Great recipe,yes often on the low carbs,miss bread though.
Glad you are feeling well again,at least it gives the body a rest for a few days when we get these bugs!
Love lup cheong,always steam mine on top of the rice,adding an extra one for my persistent tasting to see if its cooked!!!
I am SUCH a carb monster. I love my rice, pastas, breads…I don’t think I could give it up, even for delicious cauliflower fried rice!
We must have been sick at about the same time. I blame the ever changeable weather. I love the look of this low-carb meal. The young adults have gone carb-free. It’s driving me crazy. Wouldn’t even eat last night’s pasta – just wanted the sauce. I will cook this for them and hopefully will hear some long overdue praise. If you can’t find that Asian sausage could you (heaven forbid) substitute something Italian like Chorizo or maybe pancetta?
Damn, if I were not going out for dinner tonight, I would definitely be making this! I love the fact that you can chop the cauli quickly in the processor too. Stay tuned, I will be making this as soon as practicable.
Lorraine, I’m trying this tonight as it sounds like the perfect comfort food, and nutritious too!
What a colorfully exciting dish, TRUE!
Looks very YUM and healthy too!
The key to losing weight is eating more, not less,
Combining foods together, not guess!
Well, boo-hoo: I am just out for a minute from sickbed now with no one to ask for a meal or massage
!! Hasn’t cauliflower rice caught on, seemingly around the world! But your interesting version surely has the most appeal! Yes, I make sure I eat enough veggies: at least 5-7 portions a day making certain there are at least 4-5 colours on the plate – do try for more! This way of thinking is much easier than trying to remember you need lycopene, for instance, and that comes most easily in tomatoes – just remember ‘red’ 
! Carbohydrates: absolutely necessary, but nothing white: bread, rice etc. Wholemeal variations are available in each. Yes, the blessed Atkins Diet [no carbs] allows you to lose weight faster initially, but it is so murderous to your health in the longterm and so bad for your mental health also, I would never cut them wholly from my diet 
!
Oh I love fried rice but I never have any leftover rice to use … this looks and sounds like a great, tasty alternative
Cauliflower works as a substitute for pasta as well – break it up into little flowerettes, steam or boil and pour the pasta sauce over.
It’s tough when you’re both not 100% because who gives the massage to whom? I always lose!
I know low carb works but it doesn’t work long term for me because I miss my comfort food when I get homesick for the kids.
I would love a bowl of this cauliflower fried rice, feeling bad or not.
This looks rather wonderful. So different–I love the idea of it. No, I don’t eat low carb. Basically I believe in fresh bread with great lashings of butter. Carbs and Fat. Sigh…
I’m so sorry you’re not feeling well! This would cure me in a hurry!
Nice addition of the lup cheong sausage — yummylicious
What a gorgeous dish!!! Awesome.I was talking to a very dear friend who also happens to be in Australia, and we were talking about ..guess what…weight loss and how to eat less without losing our minds, lol!! We can’t do without carbs, so we were discussing how to get less carb in. It is so much more difficult than we realize, lol!! But I can try this cauliflower rice.
Wow, Looks amazing and yummy and quite simple!
What a brilliant way to make fried rice! I’m sure it tastes just as good, if not better! There is nothing like a good meal to cure most ills. Thank you for sharing, sweet friend!
this crazy weather is making everyone sick, ive been sick twice in a month! good to know both u and mr nqn r better!
Wow – this sounds great. Never seen a rice-less fried rice before
That looks amazing! What a clever idea replacing rice for cauliflower! I might attempt this one next week after I do the shopping!
Lorraine, your household sounds like ours lately with the illnesses. Getting your fab dish, you know how people say they are going to make something but they know they never will? Well, I know I’m making this for Friday night’s dinner. Yes, on lower carbs. Yes, it helps lose weight. I lower carb it frequently in between all the good stuff, which keeps my weight steady.
At the end of October, I was diagnosed with diabetes. So, yes, since then I have eaten low carb. Which doesn’t mean no veggies. It just means I eat low glycemic veggies like… cauliflower! This looks excellent and I will definitely give it a try. I did like rice so this will be great for me. BTW, my blood sugar levels are really good now and I’ve lost 50 pounds. So something is working.
Well done Colleen! That’s fantastic news! Good for you!!
Oh how clever to use finely chopped cauliflower to make “fried rice”. I wonder if I can trick my kids into eating this “fried rice” too.
Wow this sounds fantastic. When my children were younger I would grate cauliflour over our salad. It would add a nice crunch and flavor and they never suspected they were eating it. However, what you’ve done with your version sounds so wonderful. I can’t wait to try this. I’m happy I had a few minutes to stop by.
Oh, perfect timing! After last night’s rather stodgy meal, I was told, ‘Can we just have a salad tomorrow?’.
This cauliflower fried rice is definitely on the menu tonight.
This is the second recipe this week that I’ve seen for cauliflower rice so I’ll take it as a hint to make it. We only eat low carb! Glad you are getting better
I’ve heard about this method! And I love cauliflower so I’m all ready for replacing the rice with a vegetable. Healthy is good I say
That is SO interesting! Having done your zucchini pasta recipe I’m totally giving this a go!!
We should open a “Blog Hospital”
- this cold/flu is here as well and I only ‘crawled’ out of bed today. Hope your household is recovering soon. Take care.
We did this the other day when we had the house to ourselves- a cauliflower risotto we called it. It was actually really nice
love cauliflower…..
more recipes please….veggies!
thanks
This sounds so good, you can never have too many veggies, especially if they can taste this good!
Had never heard of this low carb version of fried rice and am pinning it immediately!
I never had cauliflower rice before, but I am liking the idea. I made cauliflower couscous before which was nice.
but like saying, eveything in moderation, including moderation itself.
Ten years ago I lost 30 kg from a no-carb diet and exercise. So it worked for me. I eat carbs now, a lot in fact
I love carbs but need to watch my intake… this looks like the perfect dinner so that I can save my carbs for dessert
.
LOL – I’ll try whispering that next time I’m down with flu. Glad to hear that you’re better now. As for our family, I usually try to have at least veggies or fruits each day, or meatless day. Also, try to control carbs portion. It’s just making us feel healthy and not too stuffy after eating full meal. Your cauliflower looks so yummy! I often have troubles cooking with cauliflower since we use broccoli most of the time.
This is actually a very new idea to me! I’ve seen spaghetti squash often but no cauliflower fried rice!
Again, I love your creativity! Hope you two are feeling better. I was sick whole January and it wasn’t fun at all. I love carb and crave carb more than sugar I think. However, I like cauliflower and this made me VERY curious about “rice”!
I can’t do low carb but I do try to stick to healthier carbs. I am eating a ton of cauliflower lately so I’m all over this recipe!
i’m a freak in that i don’t like rice or pasta or any carby things like that, though i love bread. i eat a lot of veggies and legumes, too–peas are a favorite, and i love seeing them here!
Hope you are both feeling better now – but I hope you are eating lots of this cauli fried rice – it sounds delicious – we are really into fried rice lately so I would love to try the cauli rice like this
Thanks for another wonderful recipe. Love this low carb fried rice. I can eat this everyday. Sometimes I just use prawns, other time I use chicken and I have also use soya beans instead of pea. Have added green capsicum or red capsicum.
Actually there are so many variation with this recipe and they are all lovely.
Great recipe. I’m always looking for ways to cut the carbs. I added some crushed chillis to mine to hot it up a bit. I like your photography too!
I finally made this tonight With chicken and bacon instead of the prawns and sausage, extra veg (peas, carrot, beanshoots, beans, broccoli) and it was fabulous! Even my 2 year old ate a whole plateful happily! Now I have to give it a go when DH is home! Thanks for the recipe Lorraine, this one is going to be a keeper for our family
Hi Renee! That’s fantastic and I love that your two year old loved it too!
I like the sound of the extra veg too! You’re very welcome! 
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