Garlic Shrimp Cauliflower Rice One Pot

A complete win-win recipe today – garlic shrimp cauliflower rice! A perfectly balanced one-pot hearty meal for all who want to eat tasty as well as healthy! Perfect low-carb option for all rice lovers!

Since the inception of this blog, I have been sharing recipes of the dishes that we enjoy devouring at home and so the trend of recipes has taken the same direction as our eating habit.

Since the past couple of years I have been quite mindful of what we are eating these days, most of my recent recipes are carefully created keeping in mind to balance all the necessary macros.

Today’s recipe of garlic shrimp cauliflower rice is another appropriate example of the same! It is low in carb and high in fiber. Plus you have a good amount of protein from the shrimp.

You may doubt the fat content as shrimps are known to be usually high in fat, but if you maintain the right portion you will only consume the correct amount of fat needed for our bodily functions.

So in a nutshell this garlic shrimp cauliflower rice is a perfect meal for all those who are either in the midway of their weightloss journey or are simply trying to maintain the healthy eating habits to sustain the transformation.

What is Cauliflower Rice?

Cauliflower rice has been in the trend for quite some time now and I am sure you have at least heard about it already even if you have not tasted it yet!

I had shared a detailed recipe on how to make the perfectly fluffy stir fried cauliflower rice with veggies a few years back and it is still one of my most visited recipes from my readers.

To put it simply, cauliflower rice is nothing but finely grated cauli florets which resembles rice grains and then they are stir fried with veggies or meat of your choice.

Now you may ask why you need to take so much effort while you can simply use plain white rice for stir frying? That’s only cut down on the carbs and also to increase your veggie i.e. fiber intake.

Plus cauliflower has its own nutritional benefit and being a super low calorie vegetable, it is a weightwatchers’ delight!

What is garlic shrimp Cauliflower Rice?

In today’s recipe of garlic shrimp cauliflower rice, I have given this simple cauli rice a tasty makeover with my all time favorite food i.e. none other than shrimps!

Garlic makes all things flavorful, but garlic with shrimps is a match made in heaven!

Juicy shrimps sauteed with grated garlic and mildly seasoned with paprika or any other spice of your choice is, in my opinion, the best way to savor shrimps!

Pair them up with fluffy bites of cauliflower rice and you have the most delicious & soul satisfying bowl of a healthy one pot meal!

Ingredients for garlic shrimp cauliflower rice

Cauliflower: To get the best cauliflower rice, you need the freshest cauliflower that you can possibly lay your hands on. The fresher the cauliflower is, the firmer it would be and firm cauliflower is equal to the best cauliflower rice!

While choosing a cauliflower, look for the large heads with tightly packed florets.

Cauliflower turns soft very quickly even when refrigerated; so when you are picking a fresh one for making cauliflower rice in particular, make sure to make it within a day or two and no later than that!

Jumbo shrimps: Use your favorite shrimps for this garlic shrimp cauliflower rice recipe. I used the jumbo shrimp and peeled them keeping the tail intact as with the tail on, the shrimp looks more tempting to me.

Aromatics: We just need a handful of aromatics to make your garlic shrimp cauliflower rice super tasty – just finely chopped onion, minced ginger and minced garlic are what you need for your cauliflower rice.

Garlic: For your garlic shrimps, you will need a good amount of minced garlic, about a tablespoon of garlic for 2 servings of shrimps.

Soy sauce: A tad bit of soy sauce will impart the right amount of earthiness and savoriness to your cauliflower rice.

Seasoning: Add salt & pepper to taste to your cauli rice and garlic shrimps.

How to make garlic shrimp cauliflower rice?

First let’s make the cauliflower rice.

Step 1: Cut the cauliflower heads into medium size florets. Wash them thoroughly and place the florets in a colander to let them become completely dry. Moisture is the main enemy of fluffy cauliflower rice, so you need to be extra-cautious to eliminate all possible sources of moisture.

Pro tip: Once all the water drips out of the cauliflower florets, I put them inside the freezer for 30 minutes to make them extra dry. This really made a difference in getting the best ever cauliflower rice.

Step 2: Once your florets are completely dry, pulse them in your food processor using the chopping blade.

Pro tip: Important point to remember here is not to put all the florets into the processor at the same time. Pulse 6 to 7 florets at a time until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs or rice. Take them out on a plate and repeat the ricing process with remaining cauliflower florets as above.

Step 3: Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the large skillet.

Pro tip: To make perfectly fluffy cauliflower rice and avoid getting mushy lump of cauliflower, you need to use a large skillet. Do not use a stockpot or casserole or even a pan with high sides as they tend to hold the moisture inside the pan. A shallow skillet or frying pan is ideal for this job.

Step 4: Once the oil is hot, add the riced cauliflower. If your skillet is not big enough, add only half of the cauliflower rice.

This is important to ensure that your riced cauliflower doesn’t turn into a mushy lump as too much cauliflower rice will release a lot of water and you will end up with mushy steamed cauliflower instead of fluffy cauliflower rice.

My skillet was also not big enough to hold all the riced cauliflower at one go which is why I did it in 2 batches.

Step 5: After adding the cauliflower rice, spread them over the skillet evenly and let it cook on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes without disturbing it. This will ensure that excess moisture evaporates out.

Step 6: Then stir fry the cauliflower rice on medium high heat until you get a nutty aroma which is the signature flavor of fried cauliflower; this would take about 10 minutes on low-medium heat.

Step 7: Season it with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to mix the seasoning thoroughly with the cauliflower rice.

Step 8: Take the stir fried cauliflower out on a plate and set aside while you saute the aromatics.

Step 9: Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet.

Step 10: Once the oil is hot, drop in the minced garlic and minced ginger. Sauté them on medium heat for a minute or until fragrant.

Step 11: Then add the chopped onion and fry them on medium high heat until the onion turns translucent and becomes soft. This would take about 4 to 5 minutes. You don’t need to brown the onion completely.

Step 12: Now add the fried cauliflower rice back to the same skillet and using a spatula mix it light-handedly so that the aromatics are evenly distributed and mixed with the cauliflower rice.

Pro tip: Be patient at this step and take a couple of extra minutes to thoroughly mix the cauliflower rice and aromatics. This is where the flavor is built and the rice grains are infused with beautiful flavors.

Step 13: Your cauliflower rice is ready. Switch off the flame and you may leave it in the skillet to keep it warm while you prepare the garlic shrimps.

Here you go with the step by step process of garlic shrimps!

Step 14: Wash, peel and devein the shrimps keeping the tails intact for a nice visual representation. Take them in a bowl and add salt & pepper to taste.

Step 15: Give the shrimps a good shake to evenly season each shrimp with seasoning.

Step 16: Heat a non-stick skillet/frying pan and add about a tablespoon of oil to it and let it warm up a little.

Pro tip: Do not heat the oil too much; just make it warm so that when you add minced garlic, it does not burn.

Step 17: Add the minced garlic to the slightly warm oil and let it cook on low flame for a good 5 to 7 minutes. This will infuse the oil with a beautiful garlicky flavor and the bits of garlic will turn golden brown. Make sure garlic doesn’t burn; so keep the flame on low all the time.

Step 18: Now add the seasoned shrimps one by one to the skillet without overcrowding the pan; arranging them in a single layer. Leave them for 2 minutes without any disturbance.

Step 19: After about 2 minutes, flip the shrimps over and saute the other side for another 2 minutes on low.

Step 20: Once the shrimps turn opaque, give them a good stir. Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of paprika or red chili powder for a modest spicy kick. Stir or shake the pan for a final mix.

Step 21: Your easy & tasty garlic shrimps are ready. Take them out and serve it on the side with fluffy cauliflower rice.

Step 22: Squeeze the juice of half or quarter of a lemon over it and enjoy the garlic shrimp cauliflower rice with friends & family!

More healthy & tasty recipes from Flavor Quotient

Garlic Shrimp Cauliflower Rice | One Pot Healthy Meal for Weightloss

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Priyanka

Recipe type: Main

Serves: 2 Servings

Ingredients

For cauliflower rice:

Cauliflower - 1 large head (or about 4 cups of riced cauliflower)
Onion - 1, medium, finely chopped
Ginger - 1-inch piece, minced
Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves, minced
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Salt & pepper to taste

For garlic shrimps:

Jumbo shrimps - 10 to 12
Garlic - 15 to 18 cloves (about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut the cauliflower heads into medium size florets. Wash them thoroughly and place the florets in a colander to let any excess water drain out and they become completely dry.
Once all the water drips out of the cauliflower florets, put them inside the freezer for 30 minutes to make them extra dry. This really made a difference in getting the best ever cauliflower rice.
Once your florets are completely dry, pulse them in your food processor using your chopping blade. Pulse only 6 to 7 florets at a time until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs or rice. Take them out on a plate and repeat the ricing process with remaining cauliflower florets as above.
Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the large skillet. Make sure to use a large skillet or frying pan and not a casserole or dutch oven or saute pan.
Once the oil is hot, add the riced cauliflower. If your skillet is not big enough, add only half of the cauliflower rice. You may need to do it in 2 batches.
After adding the cauliflower rice, spread them over the skillet evenly and let it cook on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes without disturbing it. This will ensure that excess moisture evaporates out.
Then stir fry the cauliflower rice on medium high heat until you get a nutty aroma which is the signature flavor of fried cauliflower; this would take about 10 minutes on low-medium heat.
Season it with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to mix the seasoning thoroughly with the cauliflower rice.
Take the stir fried cauliflower out on a plate and set aside while you saute the aromatics.
Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet.
Once the oil is hot, drop in the minced garlic and minced ginger. Sauté them on medium heat for a minute or until fragrant.
Then add the chopped onion and fry them on medium high heat until the onion turns translucent and becomes soft. This would take about 4 to 5 minutes. You don’t need to brown the onion completely.
Now add the fried cauliflower rice back to the same skillet and using a spatula mix it lighthandedly so that the aromatics are evenly distributed and mixed with the cauliflower rice.
Be patient at this step and take a couple of minutes extra to thoroughly mix the cauliflower rice and aromatics. This is where the flavor is built and the rice grains are infused with beautiful flavors.
Your cauliflower rice is ready. Switch off the flame and you may leave it in the skillet to keep it warm while you prepare the garlic shrimps.
Wash, peel and devein the shrimps keeping the tails intact for a nice visual representation. Take them in a bowl and add salt & pepper to taste.
Give the shrimps a good shake to evenly season each shrimp with seasoing.
Heat a non-stick skillet/frying pan and add about a tablespoon of oil to it and let it warm up a little.
Add the minced garlic to the slightly warm oil and let it cook in low flame for a good 5 to 7 minutes. This will infuse the oil with a beautiful garlicky flavor and the bits of garlic will turn golden brown. Make sure garlic doesn't burn; so keep the flame on low always.
Now add the seasoned shrimps one by one to the skillet without overcrowding the pan, arranging the shrimps in a single layer. Leave them for 2 minutes without any disturbance.
After about 2 minutes, flip the shrimps over and saute the other side for another 2 minutes on low.
Once the shrimps turn opaque, give them a good stir. Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of paprika or red chili powder for a modest spicy kick. Stir or shake the pan for a final mix.
Your easy & tasty garlic shrimps are ready. Take them out and serve it on the side with fluffy cauliflower rice.
Squeeze the juice of half or quarter of a lemon over it and enjoy the garlic shrimp cauliflower rice with friends & family!