Nasi Goreng Cauliflower Rice with Fried Egg
Cauliflower rice, sambal and prawns fried hot and fast, with a crisp-edged egg on every plate.
Why it works
Cauliflower rice releases water the moment it meets heat, so the wok must be hot enough to drive it off as steam — crowd it or drop the heat and you get porridge. Frying the shallots, garlic and sambal in oil first, before anything wet arrives, is what gives the dish depth. Half the base is real cooked rice, which is what turns a light plate into dinner: the cauliflower keeps it from sitting heavy, the rice gives it something to hold on to.
Method
- Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wok over a high heat. Fry the shallots and garlic 2 minutes, until deep gold at the edges, then stir in the sambal for 1 minute more — it should darken and smell toasted rather than sharp.
- Add the prawns and toss 2 minutes, until just pink and curled into loose Cs. Tip the lot into a bowl. Put the rice pouches in the microwave for their 2 minutes and leave them sealed until you need them.
- Turn the heat as high as it goes and add the cauliflower rice in two batches, tossing constantly for 3 minutes in total. Listen to it: a steady sizzle means the water is going, silence means it is stewing.
- Squeeze the pouches to break up the grains, tip the rice in and toss 2 minutes, until it is hot through and beginning to catch on the wok. Return the prawn mixture with the soy and honey and toss 1 minute more, until every grain is coloured and the wok is dry again. Divide between plates.
- Wipe the wok, add the last tablespoon of oil and fry the eggs over a high heat for 2 minutes, until the whites are lacy and brown at the rim, the yolks still running.
- Sit an egg on each plate and add the sliced cucumber and the tomatoes alongside, then scatter with the peanuts and spring onion and add a lime wedge to each.
For the toddler
The sambal goes in at step 1, so theirs is cooked apart — a small pan of the rice and cauliflower in plain oil with two prawns chopped small, and no soy. The honey at step 4 is not for a baby under one, so leave it out of theirs or use maple syrup. Peanuts are a choking risk under five, so keep them off, and quarter their tomato lengthways.
How the toddler notes workChef’s notes
Diced chicken thigh instead of prawns needs 4 minutes. Leave both out for 300 g of firm tofu cubes.
Frozen cauliflower rice goes in from the freezer and wants one extra minute.
Prawn crackers, and acar — cucumber and carrot batons steeped in vinegar with a pinch of sugar and salt while the wok heats.
Two days chilled, but fry the eggs fresh each time.