Cauliflower is like the middle child of vegetables – always trying to stand out but not getting enough attention. Until, the last couple of years it’s been gaining quite some popularity. Cauliflower comes second when it comes to versatility (potatoes being the first, duh!). They are low in carbs, high in fiber, and nutrients. The cauliflower can behave like a carb, and taste as good as a carb rich veggie aka aloo or even rice. A 100-gram serving of white rice contains 150 calories, 34 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fiber, while a similar portion of riced cauliflower contains just 25 calories, 5 grams of carbs and triple the amount of fiber*. It is particularly a famous veggie in Keto and Paleo diet where you use cauliflower to make a mash, or cauliflower rice, or even a cauli-steak topped with cheese! It’s often blanched and sautéed in butter to be served as a side to steaks or grilled foods. My husband went on a Keto diet a couple of years ago, and I experimented a lot at that time and I must tell you, the claims of cauliflower being the new veggie in town is not wrong. I’ve made the most delicious, creamy cauliflower mash, sautéed cauliflower with some baked chicken, and not to forget, cauliflower biryani! Other than keto, I’ve seen chefs substituting cauliflower with chicken in many everyday dishes like Cauliflower wings, Cauliflower Manchurian, and Dynamite Cauliflower.
Cauliflower had always remained in the shadows of broccoli, but now it’s the time for it to shine – beating Kale to popularity. Kale’s popularity came down when it couldn’t be as versatile as the cauliflower. It couldn’t turn into rice if grinded, or a mash if steamed and creamed, or even turn into a veggie steak if need be making it more adaptable as it could be. Its popular not just in our country, but its gaining global recognition – and fast. Eateries around the world are substituting the flour-made-pizza dough to a mashed cauliflower dough to make it gluten free. Not just pizzas, but great substitute for other starchy components like rice, pasta and potato. Excellent choice for people who are gluten-intolerant. People are opting for it as a vegan substitute packed with different flavors. It’s a great way to consume vitamins and minerals as cauliflower is loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Potassium. It’s a great vegan, gluten free option and now easily found in various restaurants – just like almond milk is now readily available for lactose-intolerant people.
We all thought cauliflower was a boring vegetable, until we realized we’ve been eating it wrong. It is a bland, mild-tasting vegetable, which generously takes whatever flavor we give it – roast it, mash it, fry it, steam it!
*source: Live Naturally Magazine