Whether you get creative with your cheese grater and make cauliflower rice or buy it from the Trader Joe’s freezer aisle, there’s no denying that this delicious rice substitute can be tricky to cook properly. Often, it seems like no matter what you do, it turns out soggy. Thankfully, there are a few tricks you can use to ensure you get perfect cauliflower rice every time.
The problem with cauliflower rice is that moisture is its biggest enemy, unlike traditional rice, which needs to be boiled in water. When there is too much moisture in the cauliflower rice, it turns into a mushy, waterlogged mess. However, this can be overcome by roasting it on a sheet tray or sautéing it in a pan. You don’t want to simmer the cauliflower in a pot because this won’t heat it evenly, and the cauliflower on the bottom can overcook. Instead, the key is to either sauté or roast it in a thin layer. This will distribute heat evenly and allow a lot more of the moisture to evaporate. Just make sure not to overcrowd your pan or tray because this will prevent even cooking. On the stove, the cauliflower should be sautéd at medium to high heat for a couple of minutes; while in the oven, it does well at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes.
In addition to this, patting your cauliflower dry before cooking is recommended to remove extra moisture. Moreover, if the cauliflower is frozen, don’t thaw it before cooking because defrosting will release more moisture, increasing the chances of the cauliflower rice turning out soggy.
Don’t be afraid to spice up your cauliflower rice
Cauliflower rice can be good plain, but it’s even better when you add a little extra flavor to it. Additional ingredients can be added when you’re either roasting or sautéing the cauliflower rice, and you can use many of the same flavor combinations that work with regular rice.
For example, if you’re cooking honey soy marinated chicken thighs, you can spice up the cauliflower rice with things like chopped garlic, crispy chili oil, ginger paste, or sesame oil. However, unlike rice, try not to add too much moisture to the cauliflower while it’s cooking to prevent making it too mushy. That said, a squeeze of lime juice or a little splash of soy sauce won’t hurt anything. In fact, a little lime juice, zest, and cilantro is another excellent way to spice up cauliflower rice, and it tastes great in taco bowls.
Once you’ve mastered cooking cauliflower rice, you can have a ton of fun experimenting with flavors. And, because cauliflower rice is so mild, you can really get creative with what you add to it, making it a great addition to many different dishes.
