How to take cauliflower from a soggy side dish to the main event

Cauliflower often gets a bad rap, you either love it or hate it. However when cooked the right way, it can be a wonderful ingredient full of flavour — not to mention it’s also low in calories.

Cauliflower, a member of the brassica family — along with cabbage, broccoli and kale — over the last few years has gone from a soggy side dish to the star of a variety of dishes, thanks to its mild flavour and health benefits.

It’s loaded with antioxidants, which Melbourne-based nutritionist Samantha Gemmell explains have been shown to contain cancer-fighting properties, while other cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli and kale has been found to lower inflammation.

Cauliflower is also an excellent source of fibre — which not only keeps you regular, but can help you lose weight, lower cholesterol, and decrease your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes — and choline, a B vitamin known for its role in brain development.

“Choline is essential for brain function, and is associated with improvements in cognitive performance,” Gemmell explains.

Cooking with cauliflower across the globe

The great thing about cauliflower is that it’s so versatile. Bursting with sweet earthy flavours, cauliflower can be found in a variety of tasty dishes around the world.

Cauliflower cheese, which consists of pieces of cauliflower lightly boiled and covered with a classic white cheese sauce, is a traditional British dish. While in India, fried cauliflower with saffron is a popular dish.

And health-conscious Aussies regularly enjoy boiled cauliflower as a great potato salad substitute.

This humbled vegetables is so much more than a side dish

Believe it or not, cauliflower can be added to pretty much any dish you want. While it’s easy to fall in to the same old pattern with cauliflower and throw it in the steamer with a little oil or butter to serve, Gemmell says cauliflower can be prepared in many different ways.

• Roasted — drizzle with oil of choice, add some dried herbs or spices for flavour and roast until tender.
• Mashed — steam or boil as per usual, strain off, and then add oil, butter or milk and mash together.
• Baked — blend it up and bake it into pizza crust or tortillas.
• Grilled — slice cauliflower into thick ‘steaks’ and grill.
• Raw — it’s not great to have it raw every day, but you can enjoy raw cauliflower chopped up into salads, made into dip or even added to smoothies.

Sounds tasty? Here’s a delicious cauliflower fried rice recipe to try at home!

Cauliflower fried rice

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower, leaves removed
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mixed vegetables (peas, corn and grated carrot are popular)
• ½ onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely diced
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp soy/tamari sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Remove the tough core of the cauliflower, and chop up into florets.
2. Pulse the florets in a food processor until the pieces are rice-sized (or finely chop if you don’t have a processor).
3. Whisk eggs in a bowl and add a drizzle of soy sauce. Pour egg mixture into a hot pan and cook through like an omelette. Remove, and slice into strips.
4. Add cooking oil to the pan, along with garlic and onion. Cook until fragrant, then add cauliflower and sesame oil. Stir fry for 5 to 8 minutes, or until cauliflower pieces are tender.

Do you cook with cauliflower? How do you add it into your diet?