I realize I keep saying it’s been a while since I’ve posted and the excuse has always been that I’ve been busy. Well I do have a more legit reason for the several month long hiatus. A cancer diagnosis in January, an 18 hour surgery, 4 cycles of chemotherapy and 15 days of radiotherapy put me out of circulation for quite a while.
This is the moment where conversation stalls and I hear whirring sounds of people thinking and trying to figure out something tactful to say. Actually it’s nice to be back, to have my brain back and to have longer stretches of energy and alertness. I truly didn’t know how much treatment took out of me and it was as if I had been sent to a cave to hide for several months.
Lots of things I learned though – learning to take time to take care of myself, learning to navigate the horrible metallic taste in the mouth and loss of appetite, discovering that ChatGPT is the sympathetic know it all friend who can talk about skin care, hair loss, fatigue and muscle aches.
On this side of treatment however, I’m thankful that I’ve done everything that needs to be done for now; it’s down to daily hormone-blocking treatment and lots of exercise to rebuild muscles and strength. The good thing is that a lot of cancer treatment is common-sensical and a low carb diet is definitely something that helps so I have tried to be a bit more consistent although I often fall spectacularly off the wagon.
Anyway thanks to chemotherapy there was a period where I suspect my sense of taste was affected because I once made Korean chicken (dakgalbi) that was too spicy for the family but I was the one person happily chowing it down. Even now I feel I need stronger flavors and I’ve become quite pernickity about my food. My helper tries to make cauliflower rice regularly for me but somehow the texture and taste just seems off for me…which is why I came up with this version of Shanghai fried rice which is as flavorful a version of cauliflower rice that can possibly exist.
A lot of people do struggle with making cauliflower rice work. It’s not easy I confess because if it’s not cooked enough the cauliflower rice is too crunchy and has a pungent taste, and if it’s cooked too much it becomes soggy and gross. There is however a magic point where cauliflower rice is tasty and not soggy and I can’t explain how one knows (it’s become instinct for me so that I can guess when it’s done just by sight and smell). For those who are new to making cauliflower rice all I can suggest is that you learn to figure this magic point by tasting the rice frequently in the cooking process.
The other trick about cooking cauliflower rice is not to use too much wet ingredients as the cauliflower doesn’t absorb liquids like rice. I often use dry seasonings – think of salt rather than too much soy sauce or chili powder rather than chili sauce. For this recipe I did use some soy sauce for color and flavor, but combined it with salt to make the cauliflower rice more flavorful.
It was nice that the family loved this version of cauliflower rice. They often avoid eating cauliflower rice as they have tasted some less than ideal versions but I got thumbs up for this dish which was really satisfying!
Shanghai cauliflower fried rice
Ingredients
- 1 packet of cauliflower rice or 1 small head of cauliflower, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1/2 carrot, finely diced
- 1 cup edamame beans (thawed from frozen)
- 2 sausages, chopped
- 2 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp chinese wine
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp peanut or other heat stable oil
Ingredients
Directions
- In a non-stick pan, heat up the oil over low heat, then add the beaten egg into the pan. Gently flip the omelette, then when done, place on a plate to cool. When cool, roll the omelette into a cylinder and slice thinly.
- In the same oiled pan, turn up the heat to maximum, then fry the onions till fragrant and slightly browned, then add the carrots and fry for another minute.
- Add the sausages and edamame beans and fry for another 1/2 minute.
- Add the cauliflower rice and stir fry for 1 minute, mixing the ingredients well. Add the seasoning (light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, chinese wine, salt and pepper). Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep tasting the cauliflower until it doesnt taste raw but still has a little crunch.
- When the cauliflower rice is cooked, turn off the heat and mix in the thinly sliced omelette, reserving about 1/3 to top the cauliflower rice before serving.
Still Feeling Peckish 
Wonderful to see your post this mornings, it feels like reconnecting with a much-admired friend. You’ve slogged through so so much, cheers to you! Your cauliflower rice looks fantastic too, can’t wait to try it with the benefit of all your tweaks and learnings xoxo
Thank you!
Dear Sister,Thank you for your sharing your wisdom, cooking skills, and of course your health challenges. I
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis and hope treatment is still going okay. We’ve had a handful of friends go through it and it’s a rollercoaster- emotionally and physically. Stay strong!
Thank you! It’s been a little exciting but I’m thankful to be in a better place now!