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Looking for low carb rice substitute

John Liu
4 years ago

A dark season of want has fallen on my household. Bellies hollow, we search urgently for food. I need your help.


Okay, our bellies aren't actually hollow. They are more plump than concave, and that's why we're all on some version of a low-carb diet.


DD is on full blown keto, and has been for most of the last few months. Very successfully. She reports inucreased energy, has misplaced 30 lbs, and delights in wearing clothes from when she was younger. Never mind that "younger" in the context of a 23 year old is just a little irritating.


SWMBO has started on the keto diet as well, though she's only a few days into it.


As for myself, I am simply eating low-carb. I've tried strict keto in the past, with no luck actually entering ketosis. My theory is that I am evolved to eat rice, and thousands of years of Han heritage won't be thrown off by some Western diet fad.


Anyway, I'm looking for a low-carb rice substitute. I'm hoping you all - or, as DD used to say before she actually met some of you - my imaginary Cooking Forum friends - can suggest a substitute or invent one.

To me, a rice substitute has to be granular, fairly neutral tasting, and - here is the magic of rice - be able to absorb liquid and flavor, and go off and be a sweet rice pudding, a fragrant paella, or a spicy stir-fry.


Yes, just wait a month and I'm sure some bio-engineered food company will come up with a low-carb, green, cruelty-free and profit-filled rice substitute IPO. Once the artificial "meats" have opened the gates, all the ersatz everything-elses are going to come stampeding to meet the holy grail of consumer demand.


But I need to diet now!


So far, I have tried riced cauliflower. You know, break up a head of cauliflower and zap into bits in the food processor.

It wasn't that successful, because it doesn't absorb liquid, it gives off liquid. This it seems to make things soggy without taking up much flavor. Unless I'm using it all wrong?


I have also tried dehydrated riced cauliflower. This was more involved. I riced the cauliflower, tossed with tumeric, garlic powder, and salt, spread on a sheet pan, roasted to just starting to brown, then put in my dehydrator overnight. I got the idea from some hippie backpacking website.


This was promising. Reconstituted in chicken broth, it absorbed both liquid and flavor very well. My experiment ended up a bit too strongly flavored (went a little overboard with the turmeric and garlic) but I can try again without so much prep.

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