Thai Vegetable Cauliflower Fried Rice with Cashews Recipe
Vibrant, nourishing, and packed with umami flavors, Thai Vegetable Cauliflower Fried Rice with Cashews comes together with ease and makes a hearty Thai inspired dinner. Top it with an optional fried egg or prepared tofu to stretch this main even further. vegan + gluten free*This recipe comes together fast once the veggies are prepped. Have everything chopped and measured out before turning on the stove. The veggies cook fast, and we're going for tender crisp, not mush.
Servings 4 hearty servings
Calories 441kcal
Ingredients
- 1 C (145g) Raw Cashews
- 1 1/2 lb (680g) Cauliflower
- 4 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 1/2 C (150g) Purple Onion Medium dice, about 1 medium onion
- 5 oz (135g) Shiitake Mushrooms stems removed, sliced thin
- 1 C (250g) Red Bell Pepper medium dice, about 1 medium bell
- 1 Tbs Fresh Garlic microplained
- 1 Tbs Fresh Ginger microplained
- 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes this is about a spicy 2 - increase to 1/2 tsp for spicy 4
- 1 Tbs Brown Sugar
- 3 Tbs Tamari divided
- 1 1/2 Tbs Liquid Aminos* see note - or more tamari
- 3 C (250g) Broccoli Florets cut into bite size pieces, don't throw out the stems! see notes
- 6 oz (180g) Snow or Sugar Snap Peas sliced on the bias into bite size pieces
- 1 Tbs Thai Basil chopped - cilantro is fabulous too
Serve With (optional):
- Lime, Sesame Seeds, Thai Basil or Cilantro, Green Onions Sliced Thin, Sriracha
- Fried Egg or Prepared Tofu on the top!
Instructions
- For the Cashews: Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Place the cashews in a baking pan and bake for about 12-14 minutes until fragrant and golden. Set aside to cool. Rough chop.
- For the Cauliflower: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade, and working in batches, add about 1/2 the head of cauliflower in large chunks. Pulse 8-10 times to break the cauliflower down into 'rice'. Scrape the work bowl down as needed. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- To Make The Cauliflower Fried Rice: In a large Dutch oven, add the sesame oil and heat until shimmering. To test to see if the oil is hot enough, toss in a piece of onion. If it starts frying, it's ready! Add the onions and saute for two minutes on medium heat. To the onions, add the mushrooms and stir fry for two minutes. Add the bell peppers to the onions and mushrooms and stir fry for two more minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes to the vegetable mixture and saute for one minute on medium-low. The garlic and ginger will start sticking to the bottom of the pan.. Add two Tbs Tamari, Liquid Aminos (or more Tamari) and sugar, stir to deglaze while scraping the garlic and ginger off the bottom. To the Dutch oven, spoon in the cauliflower rice and broccoli. Stir fry for about three to four minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan as needed, until all the cauliflower rice is coated with the oil, the broccoli is tender and the veggies are evenly distributed. During the last minute of cooking, stir in the snow or snap peas, stir to warm through for about a minute. Keep an eye on it at this point because the veggies can go from tender crisp to mush quickly. You may notice a bit of moisture form in the bottom of the Dutch oven. This is normal and it typically tends to steam off as the recipe cools.
- Work quickly here because the 'rice' is still cooking at this point. Remove from heat and stir in about one Tbs of chopped Thai basil. Taste the rice for seasoning adjustment, adding one more tablespoons of Tamari (or more) if desired. This will also help deglaze the Dutch oven. Squeeze in 1/2 lime juice and stir in the cashews and fresh basil or cilantro. Add more herbs to taste. Serve immediately.
- Spoon the Fried Cauliflower Rice into big bowls, sprinkle or serve with green onions, sesame seeds, more herbs and lime wedges. If serving with tofu or fried eggs, add to the bowls now. For those that love even more spicy, serve with Sriracha.
- Store in a lidded container for up to three days in the refrigerator. This recipe does not freeze well.
Notes
*Liquid Aminos: I use it in place of fish/oyster sauce in my Asian cooking. It tastes similar to Tamari, but perhaps teases out more of that umami flavor in Thai recipes without using fish/oyster sauce. It lasts forever in the refrigerator so I don't have to worry about using it up quickly.
Recipe adapted from my Thai Vegetable Fried Rice with Cashews.
Nutrition
Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1184mg | Potassium: 1135mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1750IU | Vitamin C: 167.5mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 4.6mg