Cauliflower Rice And Jerk Sweet Potato Curry
Cauliflower is one of those underrated vegetables that has found a new lease of life in recent years. It’s now acclaimed as a wonder vegetable as it acts as a low carbohydrate alternative to rice or couscous. Cauliflower rice, I’ve found, works particularly well with this simple but delicious vegetarian jerk sweet potato curry.
Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower rice is a low carbohydrate grain substitute, loved by many. Turns out I am one of the many.
I’ve been noting the proliferation of cauliflower rice recipes over the last few years with a watchful, if slightly sceptical eye. I love my starch and this low carb, 5:2 diet food sounded a bit too good to be true.
As I am co-hosting the Cool Cauliflower Recipe Collection this month, however, it seemed like the right time to try it out.
The idea is to pulse cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles rice or couscous and use it as a substitute for either of those ingredients. It not only resembles them in texture, but is actually quite filling and satisfying too.
One hundred grams of cauliflower is only twenty five calories. Compare this to rice, which has three hundred and fifty.
Rather than use a food processor, I went with my trusty Optimum 9200 blender. It did a perfectly good job, as long as I didn’t add too much at one time.
Amazingly, sceptic that I am, I found the claims to be true. There was a bit of a brassica taste to be sure, but it was quite mild. Frying it in a very small amount of rapeseed oil, gives it a slightly nutty flavour and it goes brilliantly with the jerk curry I made to accompany it.
Not only does it taste good, but it soaks up the curry sauce well and is perfectly satisfying. I didn’t feel cheated at all.
I have been converted to cauliflower rice as a perfectly exceptable substitute for the real thing. My only quibble is that it’s not as easy to prepare. However, given that the calories are significantly less, it’s probably worth the extra effort.
Cauliflower Rice with Jerk Sweet Potato Curry
Cornish cauliflowers are still in season and I easily found a good looking fresh one at my local greengrocers. I had some organic sweet potatoes in need of using up as well as some rather ropey carrots and sprouting onions.
I made a simple Caribbean curry with these and used some flavoursome jerk seasoning from Spice Kitchen and fresh ginger to liven it up. Cooked in coconut milk, the results were quite delicious.
Other Cauliflower Recipes You Might Like
- Aloo gobi (vegan cauliflower & potato curry)
- Bang bang cauliflower
- Broccoli cauliflower cheese
- Roasted cauliflower with smoked paprika & cocoa
- Whole roasted cauliflower
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this simple but tasty cauliflower rice with sweet potato curry, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more cauliflower recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have a few of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Cauliflower Rice Curry. PIN IT
Cauliflower Rice with Jerk Sweet Potato Curry – The Recipe
Cauliflower Rice with Jerk Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
Cauliflower Rice
- 1 cauliflower (Cornish is good)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp rapeseed oil
- pinch sea or rock salt
Sweet Potato Curry
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 3 onions peeled and roughly sliced
- 3 carrots scrubbed and roughly chopped
- 2 sweet potatoes scrubbed and roughly chopped
- thumb size knob root ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tsp jerk seasoning (mine came from Spice Kitchen)
- 400 g tinned red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 400 g tinned coconut milk
- 2 tsp tamari (affiliate link) or 1 tsp rock or sea salt
Instructions
Cauliflower Rice
- Remove the outer leaves and biggest part of the stem from the cauliflower and cut the remainder into florets.1 cauliflower
- Pulse in a food processor until the cauliflower resembles rice or couscous – be careful not to over do it as you don’t want a paste. Depending on the size of the machine you are using, it may be better to do 1/4 or 1/2 at a time (I used my high speed blender).
- Dry fry the cumin seeds in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat for a minute or two.1 tsp cumin seeds
- Add the rapeseed oil followed by the cauliflower and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking and no burning. The 'rice' should be golden and cooked, but with a slight bite to it.1 tsp rapeseed oil, pinch sea or rock salt
Sweet Potato Curry
- In a large saucepan, fry the onions in the oil over a low heat for about 10 minutes.1 tbsp rapeseed oil, 3 onions
- Add the jerk seasoning and the carrots and fry for a few more minutes.2 tsp jerk seasoning, 3 carrots
- Add the sweet potatoes and ginger and stir.2 sweet potatoes, thumb size knob root ginger
- Add the bean, coconut milk and tamari or salt. Cover and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the carrots and sweet potatoes are soft.400 g tinned red kidney beans, 400 g tinned coconut milk, 2 tsp tamari (affiliate link)
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I am of course adding this recipe to the Cool Cauliflower Recipe Collection hosted by myself and Karen over at Lavender and Lovage. Please do join in with any cauliflower recipes you have, past or present. The linky is open until the end of the month.
This cauliflower rice with jerk sweet potato curry also goes to Jac of Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays.
Using cauliflower instead of rice makes this yummy curry eligible for Extra Veg which is this month hosted by Kate over at Veggie Desserts.
Although I bought the cauliflower fresh, how could I not for such a dish, the rest of the vegetables would have soon be ready for the compost heap and I only just rescued them in time. So I am sending this off to Lucy at Baking Queen for Credit Crunch Munch.
I’ve been doing cauliflower rice/couscous for awhile now, and also really love it as roasted florets with turmeric and za’atar too. Your recipe looks so good, Choclette. A beautiful balance of flavours and texture. PS I really like the Spice Kitchen blends. The best I have tasted really.
Thanks Kellie. I tried roasting cauliflower with a spiced cocoa blend once. It tasted good, but didn’t look at all pretty. I think your turmeric and za’atar sounds like a goer.
I’m a recent convert to cauliflower rice. I ate it quite a bit while I was slimming (glad to say I reached my target weight, two stone lighter than I was in December!). Gorgeous recipe this!
Gosh well done you Elizabeth, your persistence paid off. I know it’s cauliflower rice is great for those wishing to lose weight or on the 5:2 diet, but it’s actually a really nice way of preparing it anyway.
I love cauliflower rice, and it is so easy to make in the froothie. I am all for #ExtraVeg. Thanks for linking up.
Thanks Helen, I’m glad I got around to it – eventually!
Love the sound of the curry! I adore cauliflower rice, I actually just posted a recipe using it myself! It’s so good if you toast it so it’s golden brown 🙂
Haha, yes I just saw and commented on your recipe Becca. For some reason I thought you’d already seen mine, but I now realise it was the sugar free cakes. I have been well and truly won over to the cauliflower rice brigade 😉
I also love your new blog Choclette, so much better to navigate and the style really suits you. Your recipes are always winners and this sweet potato dish with cauliflower rice sounds very tasty. I love the fact you can replace a carb with a veg without missing out. Such a great invention!
Thank you Laura, that’s really kind of you to say and has given my morning a huge boost 🙂 It’s really quite astonishing that we can go on inventing new ways of preparing old foods and this is definitely a good invention.
Great post Choclette, I’m still to try this faux rice as I rarely buy cauli’s, but I reckon it would get a thumbs up from me.
Janie x
PS the blog is looking GREAT! Even my Mum (who is one of your subscribers) mentioned how smart it’s looking 🙂
Oh never mind the cauli Janie, I’m just thrilled your mum is following my blog. AND thank you for letting me know you like the new improved look 🙂
I’ve been quite sceptical about the wonderful cauliflower rice too. But perhaps I should put my qualms aside and make your truly delicious sounding recipe. There seems to be a sweet potato zeitgeist going on on the blogosphere with a few recipes being posted. I’ll definitely be bookmarking yours. GG
Haha yes GG, I’ve just been over to see your lovely sweet potato skins. You should try the cauliflower rice and then you’ll know if you think it worth doing again or not.
My wife persuaded me to try cauliflower “rice” a few months ago and, despite my initial doubts, I enjoyed it a lot. Since then I’ve used it with many other dishes and I’m a convert. This is a very fine combination – definitely my kind of dish.
Thanks Phil. It’s funny how we resist these things even though we pride ourselves on being adventurous cooks. I’m glad it wasn’t just me.
I’ve been intending to try the cauliflower cous cous for about a year now and still haven’t got round to it! Every time I buy a cauli, my husband uses it before I get a chance!!!!
The curry sounds delicious…… Sweet potato is such a great vegetable and I love adding kidney beans….
The flavours sound deliciously Caribbean and perfect for summer x
Ooh lucky you Kate, I wish CT would use cauliflowers before I get a chance. What does he cook with them? I love curry’s as it’s really simple to knock something tasty up quite quickly.
cauliflower is my favourite vegetable. Cauliflower rice is something I discovered at a friends house and together with your delicious curry makes for a frankly champion of suppers. I can’t wait to give it a whirl
Thanks Anita.
That sounds like a really interesting and unusual way to eat cauliflower.
It was a first for me Jenny, but it won’t be a last 😉
This looks and sounds lovely! I’m a big fan of cauliflower rice and sweet potato curry, but have never tried them together – and have never used jerk seasoning. I bet it would give the curry a lovely kick!
Thank you Chantelle, I like a good kick from my curry 😉
I have just cooked a Chinese cauliflower rice recipe that is so low in calories and yet high in taste, so I DO know how good this stuff is Choclette! A FAB recipe and one that I may replicate on a fast day! Karen
Ah yes Karen, you are the cauliflower Queen. I have no idea what a Chinese cauliflower is, so look forward to finding out.
I have not made this yet although I have made cauliflower couscous which I think is pretty much the same thing and I love it. That caulk is a good old girl! This curry looks amazing!
I think it’s pretty much the same thing Dom. I called mine rice, but could just as easily have called it couscous. My stomach is rumbling now at the thought of that curry – it’s a fast day 🙁
Cauliflower rice rocks! And I love your jerk sweet potatoes with coconut. Amazing flavours! Thanks for sharing with #ExtraVeg
Thanks Kate, it’s funny how such a familiar vegetable can be transformed into something seemingly quite radical.
I love a good vegetarian dish and this looks so pretty and sounds so tasty, one to put on the to make list!
Thanks Camilla, it was certainly tasty enough for us to enjoy it two nights running and rather wishing we had more.
I was a sceptic too, Choclette. It really is quite amazing how good cauliflower rice tastes. Lovely looking curry too.
Thank you Janice. We had it for supper again tonight – I’m a convert 😉
We make cauliflower rice all the time. The calories we save on rice we can spend on dessert 😉
So glad you have your priorities right Dannii 😉 What do you use to make your rice?
Love the sound of the Curry but the Cauliflower rice concept isn’t for me. Having tried it I’d rather have the calories for the real thing and use my cauliflower in some other way.
Well nothing quite beats cauliflower cheese Claire 😉
good to hear this works in the froothie blender – will have to try it – I have made cauliflower rice a few times – I think my favourite time was when I found purple cauliflower but I guess that didn’t look at all like regular rice – it is quite spooky how much it looks like it
As this is my first cauliflower rice Johanna, I’ve never tried it in a food processor, so don’t know which is better. If you try it, perhaps you could let me know.