25
Mar
Gluten Free Saffron “Rice”
Gluten Free Saffron “Rice” uses saffron infused water and other spices to flavor cauliflower that has been grated to resemble a rice consistency. Cauliflower is rich in nutrients and flavor, but low in calories and zero fat, so it's a great grain-free and low carb alternative to rice…!
I serve it with my Chicken Tikka Masala, but it would also go great with a roasted chicken and grilled vegetables. I usually use a food processor with the grater attachment to get the vegetable to a really small grain size, but you could get the same result by using a cheese grater…
Loading...Gluten Free Saffron “Rice”
AUTHOR: Danielle Walker - AgainstAllGrain.com
SERVES: 4
Cuisine: American
Category: Vegetables
PREP TIME: 10 mins
COOK TIME: 5 mins> TOTAL TIME: 15 mins
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cauliflower head, about 3 cups of florets
- 1 tablespoon ghee, butter, or coconut oil
- 6-8 saffron threads
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions:
- Run the florets through a food processor and process until finely grated to the size of rice grains. You can also grate them on a cheese grater.
- Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat, then add cauliflower and spices.
- Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the peas.
- Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring in between, until all of the liquid is absorbed and the cauliflower is mostly cooked but with a little crunch left to it.
- Add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Remove the cloves, cinnamon stick, and the cardamom pods before serving.
Keywords: dairy free, egg free, gluten free, keto friendly, nut free, paleo, scd, side dish, vegan, whole30, vegetables, side dish
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16 Responses to “Gluten Free Saffron “Rice””
Unfortunately due to the volume, Danielle is not able to answer every question,
comment, substitution inquiry, or provide nutritional information
Sheena
The photo above is so exciting! I haven’t had rice in years so I’m excited to try this recipe once I can have cauliflower. Thanks for the recipe!:)
Sheena
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Kate F
Dear All against grain.
your food is incredible and its amazing to see a website with recipes that cater to so many diets. This Grain-Free Saffron Rice is one of the very few things i am able to eat on here, Im very excited to try it.
I would like to set you a challenge, if it is not too much trouble, but may i tell you what foods i am not allowed to eat, and may i challenge you to find a lovely recipe that caters to it? i am 17 and have got extreme candida,
I am Vegetarian (although since going on a diet i am warming towards meat, though its quite difficult for me to take),
i cannot have any sugar including fruits or honey,
I cannot have any dairy products,
peas, beans and lentils are prohibited
ground almonds are my only form of nuts
tomatoes, wheat, gluten, rice,
additives, vinegar, margarine, potatoesheres what i can have:
coconut oil, (im unsure about coconut milk or almond milk)
coconut kefir
sour krout
lemon juice
apple cider vinagar
etcIm finding it difficult to get other people who i know are suffering with candida too to be tempted by my healthy food.
please help
Reply
Kelly
There are lots of things you can do with your limitations. Try some nice stir fried vegetables. Green beans should be okay for you. Your diet sounds very much like paleo to me, just a little more strict regarding sugars and starches. A lot of people
are sensitive to nightshades, so avoid tomatoes along with potatoes and eggplants and capsicum for the time being. If you can introduce fish into your diet you could have a great assortment of foods to enjoy. Some recipes you see and like the sound of would be easily adaptable. Just substitute the things you can’t have for similar things you can. If you need sweetness, try things like roasted pumpkin or sweet potato. They can even go into sweet recipes. If you can tolerate dates, soak them in hot water for 20 min and blend them up. Also a great sugar substitute in moderation of course. Good luck.Reply
Eunora Fralich
I used this recipe with your Chicken Tikka Masala. So good. I left out the saffron because I could not find it reasonably priced. However, I thought it was still so flavorful and the Chicken Tikka was amazing and full of additional flavors, that I will probably opt out of this additional spice in the future. If I make it as a side dish, I think adding saffron would be amazing. I also did not use any chicken broth. After cooking it with the melted butter and spices I found the cauliflower was already cooked and feared it would become mushy if I added the chicken broth. Again, another wonderful recipe.
Reply
Drea
Would it change the flavor profile tremendously to use ground spices instead of the whole? Recipe sounds delicious as is I just have the ingredients ground already but not whole.
Reply
Katherine
Hi Danielle!
What would you suggest pairing with this yummy “rice” ? I am making dinner for my boyfriend and I want to (gently and deliciously) introduce him to the wonderful world of grain-free and paleo-friendly food. I was thinking of pairing this with one of your salmon recipes. What do you think?
Thank you so much!
I met you at a Southern California event and have been so inspired to continue down this path since then 🙂 With gratitude, Katherine
Reply
Jason
I would avoid using ground spices in liu of whole spices for this kind of recipe. You don’t want to have too many dry ground spices, or you’ll be able to taste their physical presence (dry/texture) rather than the flavor and aromatics they impart. Also, Garam Masala has all of those whole spices, but that are ground up. Wouldn’t want to double up on those essentially.
Reply
Beth
Love all things saffron, thank you for this! Can you please clarify, is that 3 cups of florettes or 3 cups measured after the cauliflower has been “riced?” Did you use green cardamom pods? Thank you!
Reply
Against All Grain
You would use a 1/2 head of cauliflower, or 3 cups of floretes, before processing.
Reply
AJ
Do you know if cauliflower reacts with cast iron? I made this tonight but used all ground spices as that is what I had on hand and cooked in my favorite cast iron pan. By the time I served this it looked very dirty grey and I’m not sure if that’s from the spices or the pan or maybe both. I thought it was still tasty, but I just can’t get excited about cauliflower (although, this has been the best try so far).
Reply
Natalie
How many does this recipe serve? I’m hosting a dinner for 6… should I double the recipe?
Reply
sherrie
FOR “AJ” it’s not my recipe of course, but i know not to use cast iron skillet pls. xoxosb
Reply
Angela
I can’t wait to try this! I am just beginning to go grain free and I am so excited to use cauliflower as rice, thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Reply
Danielle
It should be ok.. It might get slightly soggy depends how long you between making it and eating it
Reply
Alexis
Thank you for the response! I didn’t realize this post was 4 years old when I sent my question. I decided to just make it the night before to avoid it getting soggy- and I plan to make your chicken tikka masala, but sub in shrimp! One more question, approx how many servings is this? Thanks again!
Reply
SCA
Hi! I have made this a number of times now. It’s fabulous. However, I notice that I am not getting the yellow color that your “rice” has in the picture. I know it comes from the saffron. Any thoughts on why this might be happening? The garam masala (not surprisingly) tends to give it more of a brownish color. Have made the recipe exactly as written each time. Thanks in advance!
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