Cauliflower "Fried Rice"
Founder Alexis Bauduin
YOLO, Singapore
Describe the taste, texture and nutritional value of this dish.
The cauliflower "fried rice style" is a great tweak to the popular fried rice with a healthy kick to it! You still get the consistency and bite of normal rice. This dish was launched on our very first menu and has been a crowd favourite ever since. The dish comes with shredded cauliflower, kailan, corn and some chicken breast for protein. It is also topped up with scrambled eggs and red cabbage. With only 300kcal, the meal is a great low-carb option and is still high in protein to make sure you stay full longer.
What are the biggest challenges in cooking the dish?
The hardest part is to make sure you only use the cauliflower head (florets) and not the stem. The cauliflower should be cut in small pieces, but not too small to prevent mushy “rice”. What you want is a good crunch and a firm bite to give you the feeling that you are eating rice.
What are some key ingredients that go into this dish?
Cauliflower for the “fried rice”, chicken thigh fillets, and plenty of vegetables including corn kernels, coriander, kailan, red cabbage, bok choy, red pepper, chinese broccoli, carrots, green peas. Oh, and don’t forget the tamari sauce and eggs!
What is your recommended cooking methods?
Firstly, place the cauliflower florets into a blender and blend until its size is similar to that of rice grains. Then, bake them till the texture turns crunchy.
While the cauliflower is getting baked, heat 1/2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large wok over high heat. Pour half an egg to make a large omelette. It should not take you more than a minute. Once set, flip it onto a clean board, roll it up tightly and slice the omelette thinly.
Clean the wok and heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the same wok over medium-high heat. Stir-fry one-third of chicken for 3-4 minutes or until it’s brown and cooked through.
Dice some kailan and red capsicum. Add corn, garlic, ginger and 2/3 of onion and your cauliflower bites and place them in the oven at 180oC for 15-20 and stir well half-way.
Sous-vide the chicken breast to retain its juice and nutrients. Once it’s pretty tender, return the chicken to the wok with tamari or gluten-free oyster sauce and stir-fry quickly with the cauliflower mix for a minute until hot. Mix in the omelette, red cabbage, chilli, coriander sprigs and the remaining onion as toppings!
What are some tips on sourcing for key ingredients?
The best is to go to your local market! We always receive our vegetables in the morning and cook them straight away for lunch. When it comes to vegetables, you want them as fresh as possible.
What is your recipe creation thought process?
At YOLO, we are all about making your favourite foods healthy so we love to ask customers what they love to eat, which may be unhealthy. We are currently looking at creating beef rendang or gong bao ji ding for our next menu because many customers have asked for it.
Can you share some cooking process and advice?
For proteins, YOLO is a big fan of the sous-vide cooking technique. It’s a healthier way to cook your protein by retaining all the nutrients while keeping the meat tender. For other ingredients, we either bake or steam them. The unhealthy deep frying technique is a big no-no! The amount of oil, even for pan-frying, needs to be controlled.
