Pilau Cauliflower Rice (Vegan)

A lighter, but no less tasty version of the Indian classic, this Pilau Cauliflower Rice is an ideal accompaniment to all kinds of curries. Not only is it low in carbs and calories, but it is also gluten and dairy free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans – plus a great way to get an extra portion of veggies into your life!

It is no secret that I love curry! I have a big selection of easy and delicious curry recipes on my blog now – do take a look (and let me know if I there is anything missing that you’d like me to make). One of my all time favourite accompaniments to curry is pilau rice…and I have a delicious Easy Peasy Pilau Rice recipe on my site already.

However, recently I was looking back over the most popular recipes on Easy Peasy Foodie, in order to compile my post: The 10 Most Popular Recipes from my Second Year of Blogging,  to celebrate my blogiversary, back in May – and I noticed that the most popular recipe on my site was my Indian Spiced Cauliflower Rice and yet I had only posted one other cauliflower rice recipe since then (my Coconut Cauliflower Rice – which is also proving super popular.) I felt a bit bad about that, so I got my thinking cap on and started work developing a few more cauliflower rice recipes…

The first recipe I worked on was this Pilau Cauliflower Rice – I’ve taken all the best bits from my standard pilau rice recipe and added in a few extras and turned it into an awesome cauliflower version. It’s just as easy, actually slightly quicker and totally delicious – certainly no less tasty than my standard pilau rice – possibly even more delicious, given that cauliflower has more flavour than ordinary white rice. And obviously this Pilau Cauliflower Rice is much lower in carbs and calories…making it perfect if you are trying to reduce your carbs or keep the calories down. (Did you know, there are roughly 260 calories in a typical 75g serving of white rice and just 30 calories in a 100g serving of cauliflower?!)

How to turn a cauliflower into rice

And if you are concerned about making cauliflower rice, don’t be! It is super easy. You can either use a high speed blender – I use my Froothie Optimum G2.3, which is just amazing! (Check out my review to see just how great it is.) Or you can use a regular food processor, or simply chop the cauliflower finely using a knife. Alternatively you can grate the cauliflower using the coarse side of your grater. Whichever way you choose, it takes less than 5 minutes and couldn’t be simpler. (Though if this is all too much bother, you could always buy it ready chopped in the supermarket!)

This Pilau Cauliflower Rice would go brilliantly with any of my easy peasy curries, but I would particularly recommend it with my Chicken Rogan Josh, which I shared with you last week, or my Easy Lamb Jalfrezi. If you are looking for a vegan or vegetarian curry to go with this Pilau Cauliflower Rice, I can really recommend my Quick Aubergine and Chickpea Curry, which would go beautifully.

And if you are a cauliflower rice enthusiast, don’t worry I have more cauliflower rice recipes coming soon! If you are worried you might miss them, why not subscribe to my blog to receive every new recipe straight into your inbox and then you will definitely not miss out!

5 from 6 votes

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Pilau Cauliflower Rice (Vegan)

A lighter, but no less tasty version of the Indian classic, this Pilau Cauliflower Rice is an ideal accompaniment to all kinds of curries. Not only is it low in carbs and calories, but it is also gluten and dairy free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans – plus a great way to get an extra portion of veggies into your life!

Recipe Type Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Serves 4 people

Calories 100 kcal

Author Eb Gargano

Ingredients

• 400 g cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
• 1 large white onion sliced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ a stick of cinnamon
• 4 cardamom pods bashed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 100 g frozen peas

Metric - US Customary

Method

1. Start by whizzing up your cauliflower in a high speed blender or food processor until it resembles rice. Alternatively chop the cauliflower finely with a knife or grate using a coarse grater.
2. Place the oil in a large frying pan or wok and add the sliced onion, cumin seeds, cinnamon, bashed cardamom pods, cloves, turmeric, salt and bay leaves. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes until the onions are very soft but not brown, stirring occasionally.
3. Add in the cauliflower and frozen peas and stir to coat the in the onions and spices. Turn the heat up and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the cauliflower is soft and just starting to brown in places and the peas are warm.
4. Turn the heat off and serve with your favourite curry.

Notes

Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

Nutrition Facts

Pilau Cauliflower Rice (Vegan)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 100 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4g 6%

Sodium 324mg 14%

Potassium 444mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 14g 5%

Dietary Fiber 4g 16%

Sugars 4g

Protein 4g 8%

Vitamin A 3.8%

Vitamin C 74.1%

Calcium 5.5%

Iron 9.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Need more curry inspiration? Check out my collection of Easy Peasy Curry Recipes

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I am a Froothie ambassador and this post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy a Froothie product using my links, I will get a small commission, but it will not cost you a penny more. Please rest assured I only recommend products that I like and find helpful in the kitchen and think my readers will like too.

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