Cauliflower rice lives or dies by a single number: 4 seconds at speed 5. A little longer or one speed higher and the cauliflower turns to mush instead of rice. We have been making this recipe regularly as a side dish for years and have learnt that grain size is everything, not the seasoning and not the cooking time.
We put cauliflower rice on the plate when we are making a curry, a chicken dish, or a stir-fried vegetable in the evening and do not want a heavy stomach the next morning. 700 g of cauliflower is enough for four portions as a side dish and delivers around 90 kcal per portion with 11 g of carbohydrates. The same quantity of cooked basmati rice has about 200 g and therefore four to five times the carbs. The difference in taste is there, but it almost completely disappears behind a curry sauce, yoghurt dressing, or a well-seasoned broth.
Low Carb Cauliflower Rice with Peppers, Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 7 ✓
- 700 g cauliflower florets
- 1 tbsp curry oil
- 1 spring onion
- 1 yellow pepper
- 2 tbsp double cream or milk
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Instructions 0 / 5
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1
Remove the stalk from the cauliflower, divide into florets, wash, place half in the Thermomix®, chop for 5 seconds / speed 5 and set aside. Repeat with the second half of the cauliflower in exactly the same way.
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2
Wash the spring onion, cut into pieces and add to the mixing bowl, chop for 5 seconds / speed 5 and push down with the spatula. Add the curry oil and heat for 3 minutes / Varoma / speed 1.
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3
Add the cauliflower and heat for 3 minutes / Varoma / reverse direction / speed 1. Meanwhile halve the pepper, remove the stalk and seeds, and cut into strips.
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4
Add the pepper and double cream, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1 without the measuring cup.
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5
Adjust the seasoning if needed and serve as a side dish in place of rice.
Tip: Instead of curry oil you can also use sesame oil or olive oil.
Nutrition per serving
Why 4 seconds at speed 5 is the magic limit
Cauliflower is fibrous and has a firm stalk proportion. When we put it in the mixing bowl, the Thermomix® wants to process it into a fine puree within seconds. That is exactly what we do not want. Rice-grain size means pieces between 2 and 4 mm, loose, individual, not clumping.
- Speed 5, 4 seconds: rice-grain size, loose, individual. Exactly what we want.
- Speed 5, 8 seconds: half is already couscous-fine, the rest still coarse. Uneven.
- Speed 6 or 7: mush. During cooking, water is added and the mush becomes a puree.
That is why we work in two batches, 350 g each. If you put 700 g in the mixing bowl all at once, you get mush at the bottom and coarse pieces at the top. Half out, set aside, second half in, same setting. It takes 30 seconds longer and is the difference between a rice-like texture and a puree texture.
Reverse direction and no measuring cup: two details many people overlook
During cooking, 2 tbsp of double cream, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of freshly ground pepper are added, then 10 minutes / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1 without the measuring cup. Each of these points has a reason:
- Reverse direction: The gentle stir setting turns the blades backwards and stirs only, rather than cutting. The rice stays grainy. In normal direction it turns to mush within two minutes.
- Speed 1: The lowest speed is perfectly sufficient, because at 100°C the starch from the cauliflower provides binding. Higher speeds will puree it again.
- Without the measuring cup: The steam must escape. Otherwise condensation collects in the bowl and the rice becomes wet and soggy. Place the steaming basket on top instead so nothing splashes.
- Cream instead of just water: 2 tbsp of double cream is enough to round off the cauliflower flavour. Those who prefer it lighter can use milk. Without any fat at all, the rice turns dry and tastes noticeably of cabbage.
Where cauliflower rice turns soggy or mushy instead of rice-like
The rice tastes too strongly of cauliflower
Most of the time this is because the vegetable was cooked for too long or the seasoning is missing. At 12 or 15 minutes the sulphurous taste intensifies, which is barely noticeable at 10 minutes. Our solution: Stop at exactly 10 minutes, add a pinch of nutmeg, and use half a teaspoon of granulated stock instead of just salt. This reliably masks the cabbage note.
The rice is mushy like a puree
Three causes, all three to check at the same time: too high a speed when chopping, no reverse direction during cooking, measuring cup left on. Our solution: Next time follow the instructions strictly and place the steaming basket on top instead of the measuring cup. If the rice is still too soft, cook for only 8 minutes next time and taste at the end.
Water collects at the edge of the plate
Cauliflower releases water during cooking. When the rice comes straight from the mixing bowl onto the plate, the water runs out and makes the main dish watery. Our solution: Tip the finished rice briefly into a sieve and leave to drain for 30 seconds before putting it on the plate. With the pepper variation (recipe below) this is not necessary, because the pepper absorbs the water.
Variations we actually make
- Curry variation: Add 1 tsp of mild curry powder with the cream. Makes the rice golden yellow and goes with any Indian or Asian-inspired dish.
- With pepper and spring onion: The second recipe card below shows our favourite variation with sweated spring onion, curry oil, and yellow pepper strips. The plain side dish becomes a dish in its own right.
- With garlic and parsley: Chop 1 garlic clove and a small bunch of parsley together for 5 seconds at speed 5, then add to the cauliflower. Tastes Mediterranean, goes with chicken or lamb.
- Raw as a salad: Do not cook the chopped cauliflower at all, but dress it straight away with yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil, and herbs. This turns it into a tabbouleh alternative, also low carb.
Curry, chilli, or as a bowl base
We love serving the cauliflower rice with our Spring Chicken with Yoghurt Sauce, because the acidity of the yoghurt completely removes the cabbage taste. It also works well with a fruity vegetable curry or a Coconut Milk and Halloumi Curry, because the sauce wraps around the cauliflower and it absorbs the flavours. For anyone who wants to see a different approach: the recipe for whole steamed cauliflower from the Varoma uses the same vegetable but a completely different method.
3 days in the fridge, frozen for 2 months
In the fridge, the finished cauliflower rice keeps in a sealed container for 2 days. It continues to release water as it stands, so the next day warm it briefly in a frying pan with a little butter or oil rather than in the microwave. Freezing does not work well. Once thawed, the rice turns soggy and completely loses its grain-like appearance. Anyone who wants a stockpile should freeze raw, already chopped cauliflower in portions and cook it fresh from frozen. That way the grain size is preserved.
Goes well with: Meatballs and breaded escalopes.
Also great: White Cabbage Thermomix® Varoma.
Comparing the carb values: 100 g of cooked rice has around 28 g of carbohydrates, whereas our portion of cauliflower rice comes in at 11 g for the full side-dish amount. That is a reduction of around 85 to 90 per cent, without any real loss on the flavour side. The rice is gluten-free anyway, and with 140 mg of vitamin C per portion it also delivers more than the daily requirement for an adult.
Those who want to take the low carb approach further will also find Halloumi Curry with Coconut Milk and whole Varoma Cauliflower on our site. Both take less than 30 minutes and fit into the same menu logic as the cauliflower rice.
