Curried cauliflower ‘rice’ with tandoori chicken

A lighter take on Indian favourites – guaranteed to help you avoid feeling like you need to be rolled away from the table afterwards!

Using cauliflower to replace rice is my new favourite thing. By cooking in stock, you lose any bitterness usually associated with cauliflower, and, like rice, it can take on any flavour you like, from Italian, to Mexican to Indian and beyond, the options are endless. And with cauliflower having around a quarter of the calories found in the same amount of cooked rice, it’s tasty AND easy on the waist!

INGREDIENTS

Cauliflower “Rice”

• 1 large cauliflower
• 1 green capsicum, diced
• 1 red capsicum, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons curry powder
• Mango chutney (to serve)

Tandoori Chicken

• 2-3 chicken breasts, sliced into small strips
• 200g natural yoghurt (retain a few teaspoons for serving)
• 2 tablespoons tandoori paste (gluten-free)

METHOD

1. Combine the tandoori paste with the yoghurt until it turns a light pink colour.
2. Add the chicken, and ensure that each chicken strip is covered in the yoghurt mixture.
3. Put in the fridge to marinate while you are preparing the cauliflower.
4. Remove the leaves and the large stalks from the cauliflower.
5. If you have a food processor, using the chopping implement, process the cauliflower heads until they are medium to finely chopped. If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the cauliflower heads until they take on a crumbly consistency.
6. Add the chopped cauliflower to a large saucepan.
7. Add the chicken stock and the curry powder to the saucepan, and mix to combine.
8. Add the vegetables to the saucepan.
9. Bring the cauliflower “rice’ to the boil, and allow to simmer for 30 mins, stirring as required.
10. While the cauliflower is simmering, remove the chicken from the fridge.
11. Heat a large non-stick frying pan.
12. Fry the tandoori chicken in small batches, to ensure they are cooked evenly. These are intended to be “dry” fried, however you may need to use a small amount of oil to avoid sticking. Do not overcook, to avoid it drying out.
13. Once the cauliflower is cooked, drain off any excess liquid in a strainer.
14. Serve curried cauliflower, with tandoori chicken piled on top, a dollop of yoghurt, and mango chutney.