More cauliflower "rice" success!
I bought a large head of cauliflower yesterday at the farmers' market with the intention of cutting it up raw and eating it with a yogurt dip for a mid-afternoon snack. That didn't pan out, so this morning, I grated it using my food processor with the shredding disc turned to the medium grate-size. I spread the shredded cauliflower out between 2 clean dish towels placed on a large plastic cutting board and put a couple of tile trivets on top to help press out any excess moisture. That worked really nicely! I made the following with the cauliflower rice:
Cauliflower Upma
Upma is often made for breakfast or snacks in South India. Usually, its base is rava (semolina); I typically make it with broken wheat, but the cauliflower worked really nicely for this. It's not the same as true upma with wheat, but it was pretty tasty!
1 to 2 T neutral oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 T skinless urad dal
1 to 2 dried red chilis
5 to 6 curry leaves (optional)
pinch of hing/asafoetida (optional)
Medium to large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 jalapeño, halved lengthwise then sliced crosswise. Leave the seeds in if you want more heat.
1 ounce roasted cashews
Large head of cauliflower, grated and allowed to dry - about 5 to 6 cups
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
About 1 to 2 T chopped cilantro
Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet; add mustard seeds and cover the skillet while the seeds pop. When the popping decreases, like 5 to 10 seconds between pops, add the urad dal, red chilis, curry leaves, and hing, sauteing until the urad dal is deep red-brown and the chilis have blackened.
Add the onion, carrot, jalapeño, and cashews, increase the heat to medium, and sauté until the onions are translucent and the carrot has softened a bit. About 5 min.
Add the shredded cauliflower, stir to mix with the veggies and cashews, and cook over medium-low to medium heat for about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and mix in the fresh cilantro.
Here's what the finished product looks like - not at all mushy!
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I think I'd use arborio rice today and make more of a risotto, and skip the heavy blanket of melted cheddar on top. But back then I loved it.