Ingredients
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1 cup Cooked basmati rice250 gms
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250 gms cauliflower
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1 large onion
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1 large Tomato
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1 tspn ginger garlic paste
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4 tbsp oil
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saltas per taste
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1/4 tspn shahi jeera
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few curry leaves
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1 large green chilli
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1 bay leaf
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1/4 tspn turmeric powder
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1/2 tspn red chilli powder
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3/4 tspn kashmiri chilli powder
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1/4 tspn coriander powder
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Finely chopped coriander leaves
Directions
RICE TOSSED WITH CAULIFLOWER AND SOME INDIAN SPICES
This is the recipe I had been wanting to share with many of you out there, which surprisingly is so satisfying with a simple raita and so quick to make. I can guarantee you that anyone at your home will fall in love with this recipe. I had tasted this recipe in a college canteen while I was en route to Gujarat during my study tour visit.
So we need cauliflower, stems removed and chopped into tiny florets. Tomato – skin peeled and finely chopped. Onion—long slices, finely chopped.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
Unlike regular fried rice, this Indian-style cauliflower fried rice combines fragrant spices, caramelized onions, juicy tomatoes, and perfectly cooked cauliflower with fluffy basmati rice. Every grain is coated in flavor while the cauliflower stays slightly crisp, making it a comforting one-pot meal.
(1) PREPARING CAULIFLOWER WITH SPICES FIRST
Take a wide sauté pan. Heat oil, add shahi jeera, bay leaf, curry leaf, and slit green chilies and add onions. Fry till golden brown. Add finely chopped tomatoes, immediately followed by cauliflower. Add ginger-garlic paste. Adding at this stage helps cauliflower cook faster. Time to add all spices as mentioned in the ingredients card. Add salt as per your taste. Sprinkle some sugar and allow them to crystallise with the prepared mixture. Switch to a spoon from a spatula to avoid cauliflower breakage. Garnish with finely chopped coriander.
(2) PREPARING RICE
You can either make a fresh batch of rice or also use already cooked rice for this dish. Preferably, basmati rice goes well with this recipe. You can also use leftover rice, which also works really well.
Option a—for cooking basmati rice, use one part rice to two parts water. Add this washed rice, followed by some salt, to water. Bring the water to a rolling boil first and then simmer it until the rice has completely absorbed the water. Cover and continue to cook with the vent slightly open, allowing the steam to release. This can be the best way to retain the flavours of rice. (Optionally, we can also prepare with leftover rice.)
Option B—you can also cook 1 part rice to 4 parts water, add a little salt, and then just drain it off when it is 95% cooked. The remaining 5% will cook while we will be tossing the rice with the spices.
Here’s an important trick for you to achieve the perfect texture for your cauliflower fried rice:
Divide the rice and cauliflower into two batches. Mix each of them separately. If you try to add everything together, then you may end up with the following issues:
1) rice will break out
2) all the mixture will settle out towards one side or form lumps with the rice.
3) The heat in the mixture will break the cauliflower, thus resulting in a soggy texture.
so in order to achieve cauliflower in every bite, follow the above points. Sometimes it’s not just the ingredients that give us a tasty dish but also the right methods followed at the right time.
Serve with raita.
For raita: beat the curd and add salt, chaat masala or curd masala, and chopped coriander leaves.
2. Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in under 30 minutes.
- Mildly spiced and family-friendly.
- Perfect for lunch boxes.
- Vegetarian and easy to customise.
- Pairs beautifully with raita, papad, or pickle.
- Quick, healthy & comforting meal for working mums.
