Here’s a very easy keto sesame rice (South Indian style ellu sadam) recipe. The rice here is substituted by “cauliflower rice” making this recipe low in carbs. This recipe is vegan also, yay!!
While I, personally, do not follow the keto diet, I am very open to trying good recipes from other diets. Regular readers of the blog know I am not a fan of rice. Yes, it tastes delicious, but for all the people with diabetes in their family’s genes, it is best to keep looking out for rice-substitutes. Cauliflower rice is a reasonable substitute. For those, who feel reluctant to try this 100%, can mix 50:50 cooked rice with cauliflower rice and have the benefits of health + retain most of the traditional taste.
This recipe uses calcium-rich sesame seeds (I have written about its nutritional benefits already) they are so good for health. There is also roasted lentils, curry leaves and peanuts in this recipe. A very healthy recipe!!
Step by Step Pictures
Prepare cauliflower rice by manually grating cauliflower or using a food processor.
Spread ‘rice’ on a nonstick pan and roast to get a caramelized flavor and remove the raw taste of cauliflower.
Roast spices (sesame seeds, urad dal, pepper, and red chillis) and grind it.
Start the tadka process…Then add the roasted cauliflower rice, the spice mix and stir everything well on high heat.
Serve!!
Recipe
A South Indian stir fry recipe made with "cauliflower rice". A delicious, spicy dish made by roasting + grinding sesame seeds and spices and sauteeing the mix with low carb "cauli rice".
- 3 cups Cauliflower Rice
- 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds (roasted)
- 2 tbsp Urad Dal
- 1.25 pcs Red Chilli
- .5 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Chana Dal
- 1 tsp Urad Dal
- 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
- 4-5 Curry leaves
- Peanuts (roasted)
- Salt (to taste)
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Process cauliflower florets in a food processor or manually using a grater to get cauliflower rice.
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Spread 3 cups of cauliflower rice on a non-stick flat pan on medium heat. Roast it well for 4-5 minutes until the edges crisp up. (This step will eliminate the raw cauliflower smell. Do not add salt, we don't want it to lose water.)
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In a pan, roast sesame seeds, urad dal separately until they are well roasted (They will smell delicious). Add black pepper, chili, the roasted seeds, and urad dal and give it one final stir.
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Let the above mix cool, then powder.
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In a wok, heat sesame oil. Add mustard seeds, let it pop. Then add the rest of the tadka items, fry well. Add the roasted cauliflower mix, salt, and the powdered spice mix.
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Stir fry for a few minutes. Serve!!
Keto dieters, you can avoid the daals in the recipe and still get a great taste. Double the levels of sesame seeds instead, you could even add flax seeds to this recipe.
Conclusion
In order to make it 100% keto, you may want to avoid the urad dal and double the sesame seeds in the recipe. Chana dal, however, due to its high fiber levels, has much lower net carb content than other dals (1/4 cup = 14g net carb).
I love the cauliflower toasting step in this recipe. It makes the cauliflower more crispy, less watery and also slightly caramelized. The raw cauliflower feeling is diminished by this one additional step.
I hope you give this vegan Keto sesame rice (keto ellu sadam) recipe a try. Have you tried using cauliflower rice? What has your experience been? Share your thoughts and comments below. I look forward to reading them.
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To ensure it is keto friendly I suggest using dried coconut shreds instead of the urad dhal, lighlty roast it and grind along with seasame seeds and red chillies. The end product is really tasty.
Great idea!! Thank you.
Thank you so much ..this is wonderful
Glad you liked it!!