Does cauliflower rice taste like cauliflower.....

NatalieThomas90
NatalieThomas90 Posts: 61 Member
edited December 1 in Food and Nutrition
I know this may seem like a stupid question...

But I'm a vegetable-phobe. But I hear such good reviews about this stuff that it may be a good way of me getting some vegetable into my diet.

any help or guidance much appreciated

<3
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Replies

  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    Yes, it does - just like steamed cauliflower.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It IS cauliflower, just riced so it's in little rice-like pieces.

    Cauliflower doesn't have a strong taste, IMO. (But then I like it, although wouldn't waste time ricing it.)
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    I couple of sneaky tricks to get more vegatables into your diet:
    • When cooking any ground/minced beef meal finely grate a carrot into the mix when frying. This works especially well with bolognaise.
    • Roasted vegatables take on whole new flavours - especially swede/turnip, parsnips, carrots, red onion, so bang them in the oven with some garlic and olive oil.
    • Spinach or kale is great blended into protein shakes or smoothies. It looks weird but is virtually tasteless.
  • NatalieThomas90
    NatalieThomas90 Posts: 61 Member
    Thanks for the advice!

    maybe I will try it along with some stronger flavours and see if I can get away with it!

  • aeb09
    aeb09 Posts: 424 Member
    I like to make cauli fried rice, something like this: http://pinchofyum.com/15-minute-cauliflower-fried-rice You could add shrimp or chicken or beef for more protein. It will never taste like rice-rice, but adding veggies and a little soy sauce and spices makes it really delicious!
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    I had it for the first time last week. It tastes no different than regular steamed cauliflower just in littler pieces. I happen to like cauliflower though. I'd actually prefer to just have the larger pieces but I can see how ricing it is preferable for some people. I can't imagine actually replacing rice with it though - eating my curry over cauliflower and not basmati rice sounds like no fun at all.
  • NatalieThomas90
    NatalieThomas90 Posts: 61 Member
    anything to bulk a meal and cut calories :)

    thanks for the link
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    I like to sauté mine after it's riced in some butter with whatever herbs/spices I have on hand. The cauliflower flavor is so mild that it is easily masked by other stronger flavors.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Of course it does...it's cauliflower...what else would it taste like?
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    My favourite way to cook cauliflower is cut into florets, coat with a little olive oil (about 20mls does a whole head) ad a couple of tsp of turmeric powder and roast in the oven for about 30 mins.
  • AigreDoux
    AigreDoux Posts: 594 Member
    Unfortunately, yes
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Meh, you put enough other stuff in it and you can't taste it I don't think. Good for being a bed for protein I think. I make it often. Or ground up lentils...
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It's good in a lentil stew, in fact, and I often add it (and zucchini) when I made a meat sauce for pasta.

    I never get the point of ricing it.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited April 2016
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's good in a lentil stew, in fact, and I often add it (and zucchini) when I made a meat sauce for pasta.

    I never get the point of ricing it.

    For me, it was to trick my 16 year old. And I like the volume I can get with it in place of rice.

    Also, I just like using my food processor.
  • NatalieThomas90
    NatalieThomas90 Posts: 61 Member
    Thanks for all the kind advice, and the gentle judgement ;)

    I will definitely give it a shot.
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's good in a lentil stew, in fact, and I often add it (and zucchini) when I made a meat sauce for pasta.

    I never get the point of ricing it.

    I generally follow a low carb diet, but I like having meals that traditionally are served with/over rice like stir fries, etc., so riced cauliflower is a great alternative without the added calories and carbs.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's good in a lentil stew, in fact, and I often add it (and zucchini) when I made a meat sauce for pasta.

    I never get the point of ricing it.

    For me, it was to trick my 16 year old. And I like the volume I can get with it in place of rice.

    Also, I just like using my food processor.

    Ah, that's the difference. I don't like using my food processor. I am lazy and minimize prep and clean-up.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited April 2016
    michelle172415 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's good in a lentil stew, in fact, and I often add it (and zucchini) when I made a meat sauce for pasta.

    I never get the point of ricing it.

    I generally follow a low carb diet, but I like having meals that traditionally are served with/over rice like stir fries, etc., so riced cauliflower is a great alternative without the added calories and carbs.

    Oh, I don't eat much rice (I don't low carb, but rice just isn't of interest to me--I like pretty much all non starchy veg more than rice) but don't see a need to create mock rice. I'd do a stir fry with extra veg (including chopped up cauliflower, usually) and not rice it. Similarly, while I love spaghetti squash, I also used to roast butternut and put pasta sauce on it, and enjoy it as much, and never saw any reason to make mock pasta if it didn't naturally happen as with the spaghetti squash (I also like zucchini in my sauces, so it would be weird to add it as pretend noodles). So for me it's not subbing the cauliflower that I don't get but bothering to rice it.

    Obviously people's preferences vary, though. I'm not saying it's wrong, just that I don't understand why it's worth the trouble. (Like I said above, I'm lazy.)
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    It's good in a lentil stew, in fact, and I often add it (and zucchini) when I made a meat sauce for pasta.

    I never get the point of ricing it.

    For me, it was to trick my 16 year old. And I like the volume I can get with it in place of rice.

    Also, I just like using my food processor.

    Ah, that's the difference. I don't like using my food processor. I am lazy and minimize prep and clean-up.

    I rice a head at once and freeze it in single servings.
  • 6pkdreamer
    6pkdreamer Posts: 180 Member
    No it didn't taste like cauliflower and I didnt even realize. I just thought it was white rice amazingly when it was a bed under a curry. On its own I would probably twig to it being different I sue.
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    Yes, but it'll take on the flavor of whatever sauce or seasoning you use.
  • CeejayGee
    CeejayGee Posts: 299 Member
    I don't think it tastes too much like cauliflowers - depends on the seasoning you use! Soaks it up.

    Last night I made cilantro-lime cauliflower "rice" - i used tons of lime, cilantro, and a pinch of salt. That served as the bottom of my burrito bowl that was topped with beans & taco-seasoned boca crumbles, tomatoes, lettuce, etc...just like a Chipotle burrito bowl, but cauliflower rice! It was delicious and filling and low-cal!

    I also love the cauliflower stir-fried rice. So good.
  • CeejayGee
    CeejayGee Posts: 299 Member
    (I use the pre-packaged caufiflower crumbles by Jolly Green Giant - no prep!
  • NikkiMichelleS
    NikkiMichelleS Posts: 897 Member
    michelle172415 wrote: »
    I like to sauté mine after it's riced in some butter with whatever herbs/spices I have on hand. The cauliflower flavor is so mild that it is easily masked by other stronger flavors.

    I agree, and make mine this way. Heat a bit of olive oil & butter in a pan with minced garlic, sauté the cauliflower. Add in various spices or herbs, or Parmesan cheese... Yummmm.
    Tastes delicious.
    Not like true "rice", but pretty good. We are not big veggie eaters but cauliflower rice has become an easy go-to for us.
    We've traded it in more often alongside curries and salmon rather than rice.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    amyrebeccah wrote: »
    I mix it half and half with rice, and don't notice the flavor at all. For the person who asked why rice it, I don't like the texture of large steamed florets.

    Interesting. I really do, although I sautee or roast more often (and occasionally like it raw, especially with baba ghanoush).

    This thread is making me wonder if maybe the main advantage of ricing is for people who don't really like cauliflower?
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    amyrebeccah wrote: »
    I mix it half and half with rice, and don't notice the flavor at all. For the person who asked why rice it, I don't like the texture of large steamed florets.

    Interesting. I really do, although I sautee or roast more often (and occasionally like it raw, especially with baba ghanoush).

    This thread is making me wonder if maybe the main advantage of ricing is for people who don't really like cauliflower?

    Could be, but my bet is people are ricing it to save some calories on actual rice.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    ASKyle wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    amyrebeccah wrote: »
    I mix it half and half with rice, and don't notice the flavor at all. For the person who asked why rice it, I don't like the texture of large steamed florets.

    Interesting. I really do, although I sautee or roast more often (and occasionally like it raw, especially with baba ghanoush).

    This thread is making me wonder if maybe the main advantage of ricing is for people who don't really like cauliflower?

    Could be, but my bet is people are ricing it to save some calories on actual rice.

    But again, you don't need to actually rice it to do that. I almost never eat rice and eat lots of cauliflower. When I decided I didn't like rice enough to waste calories on it very often, I didn't replace it with mock rice -- it never crossed my mind to do that.

    I admit realizing that people were using the food processor instead of messing around with a ricer made it make a little more sense to me (I've riced potatoes and found it a pain), but in the "what keeps you from cooking more" thread cleaning up seems to be a popular answer, and one reason I'd use cauliflower in the kinds of recipes that are being discussed without ricing it (even in the food processor) is that I have fewer things to have to clean up. (Similarly, I would not bother making zucchini noodles -- I might eat the same foods with zucchini sliced.)

    But I think I have a thing about "mock" foods also that others don't have, that for some reason that just is different from how my mind works mimicking the look of foods that are being replaced is appealing to some people. And that's cool--I'm not being critical. Just lazy, like I said.
  • Numberwang22
    Numberwang22 Posts: 213 Member
    I cauliflower riced for dinner tonight for the first time! I used it to cut my basmati - sceptical but worked really well. Farting a lot but worth it for the calories!! Had enough to fit in nightcap tonight, sweet
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    edited April 2016
    Mix it 50/50 with regular white rice. I can't taste it and it makes a larger portion less caloric.

    Also, this freezes well so I always make a big batch so I have some to freeze.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    My favourite way to cook cauliflower is cut into florets, coat with a little olive oil (about 20mls does a whole head) ad a couple of tsp of turmeric powder and roast in the oven for about 30 mins.

    ^^This^^^

    Love roasted cauliflower with olive oil salt and pepper.
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