Keto Japanese Steamed rice

This Keto Japanese steamed rice recipe is one you never thought you needed in your life. If you are a fan of Asian food, then you know how most dishes are served with a side of plain white rice to mellow out the intense flavors. This sticky cauliflower rice is the perfect accompaniment to low carb Japanese dishes. It is easy to prepare, requiring just a handful of ingredients and 10 minutes of your time.

What is special about Japanese steamed rice?

Steamed Japanese rice is prepared using Uruchimai, which is plump short-grain rice. When cooked, this rice is sticky, firm, and slightly sweet. The cooked grains are sticky enough to easily be picked up with chopsticks. This is the rice served at every Japanese meal.

What can we do to imitate traditional Japanese rice for a Keto diet?

Regular Japanese steamed rice is stickier and slightly sweeter than regular rice, and that’s what we need to achieve in this recipe. It is easy to obtain the needed flavor by adding some low-carb sweetener when steaming the cauliflower rice. We have used 1 tsp of powdered erythritol, but you can use the sweetener of your choice. The real challenge comes in the texture. Cauliflowers lack the starch that makes rice sticky. This is where the xanthan gum comes to play. A small amount of this ingredient binds the cauliflower granules just enough to be consumed with chopsticks, but not too much to create an unpleasant texture.

Can you use fresh cauliflower?

Absolutely! To rice the cauliflower, cut it into florets and wash thoroughly. Pulse in a food processor until it looks like rice. You will likely have to do this in a couple of batches. If you fill it up more than halfway, it won’t break down into even pieces. You can use this method to prepare a large batch of cauliflower rice, and freeze the rest for use in other Keto Japanese recipes.