Quick and easy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, recipe for an Indian spiced savory cauliflower rice that makes a perfect side dish or a light meal!
Cauliflower rice has been popular for quite some time now. I liked the idea of a lower carb option but truth be told……I was skeptical about tricking my rice loving taste buds.
That was until this gorgeous yellow cauliflower at the farmers market caught my eye! Does this happen to you? At such times, I am standing there oblivious of people around me, looking at that beautiful deep yellow cauliflower thinking of what I could make with it….and the wheels started turning….what if I made it into cauliflower upma?
Look at this gorgeous yellow cauliflower! Hard to resist, right?
Back to my irresistible yellow cauliflower! I simply cut chunks of it and put them in my food processor which I then realized was broken. So I discovered that a mini chopper works fine too. Once that is done, your meal is ready in a matter of minutes!
The tempering of Indian spices transformed the cauliflower into 5 cups of delectable low carb, low cal upma! I am happy to have discovered this yummy, low calorie yet filling dish!
I cannot wait to make my Scrumptious Spaghetti Squash Upma this fall again, another of my favorites that was a hit last year! My book club friends always demand my Indian Noodles so as we start another year of book club, that is on my list too!
Wash, trim and cut the cauliflower into big florets. You can use a food processor/ mini chopper or the coarse side of a grater to cut the cauliflower into small grain like rice. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a pan, over medium heat. Add the urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds,the dry red chilies and curry leaves in that order. When the spices sizzle and splutter,add the asafetida powder and the turmeric powder and stir for another 30 seconds or so to let the flavors bloom.
Add the riced cauliflower and salt and saute the mixture well for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the cauliflower is coated with the spices and is cooked tender crisp.
Add the sugar and lime juice and stir to combine.
Serve topped with the grated coconut and cilantro leaves, if desired.
Enjoy this filling yet low calorie dish! It is all about the balance, right?
I am taking my Cauliflower Rice Upma to Fiesta Friday co-hosted by the fabulous Judi @Cooking with Aunt Juju!
Lovely share and delicious upma..
Thanks so much Seema. I am so sorry about my delay in replying. My computer crashed and I am just trying to catch up on a borrowed one as mine gets fixed.
I loved this option for a gluten free upma.
Thanks Usha. I hope you got a chance to make it.
I've never seen yellow cauliflower but I know what you mean about seeing things and just needing to try them! All of your flavorings sound delicious.
Sorry about my delay in replying. My computer crashed and I am just trying to catch up on a borrowed computer. I appreciate your kind words !
I tried cauliflower rice this year too and it was good. I love the way you "kicked it up" with all those great ingredients. Besides I now finally have quite a collection of Indian spices. thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday Sandhya and bringing a new version of cauliflower rice.
Thanks so much Judi! This recipe is going to be a keeper for me because I love the flavors and it gives me a gluten free option for the traditional upma that is made of cream of wheat/semolina.
You are always so gracious hosting FF . Thank you so much!
Thanks so much Rahul. Sorry for my delayed reply. I really liked this gluten free upma.
Thanks so much! I am sorry about my delay in replying. My computer crashed so I have been out of touch….trying to catch up now, but you know how it is, using a borrowed computer 😉 Hope you got a chance to try out the upma.
Thanks Mona! Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks Myra. Sorry for my delay in replying. My computer crashed so i have been out of touch. Your blog and posts are very inspiring!
This is awesome Sandhya! Such a great idea!
Love the color of that cauliflower. I'm not sure I've seen one that color. Your upma dish with the cauliflower rice looks amazing! What does upma mean? The Indian spices must have given it a great savory flavor. I've yet to try the cauliflower rice. I always think that my food processor might not do the job as well, but you've illustrated here how simple it can be. Have a great weekend Sandhya.
My computer crashed just before I left for the trip so am trying to reset everything on a borrowed one for now.
Anyway, coming back to the cauliflower upma, I rarely see these yellow cauliflowers too, so I got super excited. I am not sure where the word upma comes from but in India upma made of semolina is a very popular tea time or breakfast snack. So this make a very nice gluten free option.
Hope all is well with you. I will catch up with your posts soon!
I usually replacing rice to cauliflower rice just for the sake of reducing carb intake. I will try your recipe – this is really great!!
Thanks Indah! I hope you like it. I look for recipes to reduce carb intake too and this will be one of my go to recipes too.
This looks so good Sandhya and I love the colour of that cauliflower – happy Fiesta Friday!
What a beautiful recipe without the guilt!
Thanks so much Sumith. Yes I did not miss the semolina- liked the gluten free version.
Likewise my friend! I learn so much from you- you are an amazingly talented chef!
Thanks so much Wendy! I really appreciate your kind words. I love this recipe so much that I just got another cauliflower to make it. It keeps well in the refrigerator and reheats well for a quick lunch/snack too. Yes I love the courgette spaghetti too! Good for you for putting diabetes into remission!
Upma in any form is a combo of delicacy and pro health.
These dresses are beuufital! I love all the lace and intricate details. I am not much of a tea person myself but have heard some great things about the variety of teas they have in Teavana. Hope you had a great weekend!
You have such smart friends chiming in here. I'll just echo their sentiments. There is no doubt in my mind that you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. Hang tough, woman!!
Thanks so much for your vote of confidence!
very nice , interesting & totally new.
Thanks so much Pranita! I love it a lot!
It took sometime me to get used to cauliflower rice texture, but now no one can stop me having it. With an Indian touch, this looks so delicious!
Thanks so much Jagruti. This has become one of my go to recipes.
Cauliflower rice upma for sure is a treat for people who have gluten-allergies..Making upma with cauliflower is such a versatile idea !! It looks quite inviting .. loved the yellow colored cauliflowers in the pics!!
Thanks Maria! I know what you mean…I am crazy about chili peppers too.
I'm completely in awe of the colorful cauliflower available in the US and Canada. This recipe is a must try one, as one can enjoy Indian flavors for a low carb dish. We face power outage very often so sometimes the hand grater becomes handy to grate the cauliflower.
Thanks Mayuri. I like that it is low carb and very flavorful.
Cauliflower is easy to grate but losing electricity often must be so tough. We lost power last week for 3 days and due to winter the house got so cold!
I can imagine how cold it must have been. Thankfully, when power goes away we don't feel cold but it gets too hot. Often power cuts are irritating as we depend on power for so many things.