My favourite veges are those I like the taste of raw. Cauliflower isn’t one of my favourite vegetables. But due to its mind ‘nothingy’ taste, it’s great to carry other flavours, and in this recipe, for its ‘rice-like’ texture when grated. I love rice, especially brown rice, but I find it really bloating. Not sure if this is actually what’s happening, but I feel like it’s expanding in my belly after I’ve eaten it. This recipe is great if you’re trying to add more veges into your diet.

Apart from being very low in calories, cauliflower has many health benefits including it being an excellent source of vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins, it’s a great source of dietary fibre which is essential for optimal digestion and as a cruciferous vegetable, it is being studied for its role in reducing the risk of cancer. Occasionally I’ll boil and mash it for a less starchy, low GI version of mashed potato (cauliflower has a GI of around 15 with potato around 80) but for this dish to work best, it’s really important not to cook the cauliflower for long so it remains a little al dente (and also retains some of its raw qualities) – 5 minutes max.

Serves 4 as a side dish (makes about 4 cups of ‘rice’)

ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp good-quality extra virgin olive oil / coconut oil / butter
  • 1 head of cauliflower – stalks and florets grated with a course grater
  • 8 anchovies (can omit if full vegetarian and substitute with a little salt, tamari or miso to taste)
  • 8 shallots or 2 large brown onions – chopped finely
  • 8 cloves of garlic – chopped finely
  • freshly ground pepper

method

  1. Heat oil/coconut oil/butter in a fry pan to a medium-high heat until covering the bottom of a pan
  2. Add the anchovies and stir until dissolved
  3. Add shallots/onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent
  4. Add the grated cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes, stirring so that all the ingredients are well combined.
  5. Add pepper to taste (the anchovies give the saltiness)
  6. Eat hot or cold, any way you’d eat rice.