One-Pot Indian-Spiced Rice with Cauliflower and Tofu
A true one-pot meal, this Indian-spiced rice is made with store-bought spicy simmer sauce, paired with tofu and cauliflower. It’s hearty, filling and you can load it up with a range of herbs or crunchy nuts as toppings.
We are staying in a little loft in San Francisco right now, trying to find our next place to live. The kitchen is tiny: two electric burners, a microwave, roughly 2 feet of counter space. There are many parallels to camping in the Airstream trailer, and one-pot meals have been front and center. Some better than others. This is the one I keep coming back to, at least once a week. It's a one-pot meal that hits all the buttons with a rice and quinoa base flavored with store-bought Indian simmer sauce. It becomes a meal with the addition of tofu and cauliflower, over-the-top good when the toppings hit. Here's how it goes.
Cook a blend of rice and quinoa in a big pot. As soon as it’s ready, stir in a 12-ounce jar of your favorite Indian simmer sauce (ideas below!), stir in a bunch of tiny cauliflower florets and small tofu (or paneer cubes), and let simmer for a bit. Until the cauliflower is soft with flavorful sauce. Thin with a bit of water if you need to. Load up with whatever toppings are convenient and you’re good to go. It has been cold and rainy and this really hits the spot. Leftovers are legit. Let’s talk through some details related to the ingredients.
Indian-Spiced Rice with Cauliflower and Tofu: The Ingredients
- Rice: I’ve been using jasmine rice cut with some quinoa. I brought a big bag of jasmine rice with us from LA, so it has been the go-to. Of course you can substitute basmati rice here.
- Tofu: The goal here is a nutritious one-pot meal with a good amount of protein, vegetables, some whole grains, etc. I’ve been using little tofu cubes as the protein component. Paneer (cubed) would also be delicious. I’ve even done a blend of the two in the past if that’s what you have on hand, a little strange, but fine.
- Simmer sauce: The recipe calls for your favorite Indian simmer sauce. I normally make my own simmer sauce (and keep extra on hand in the freezer for quick meals), but until we get back into a more robust kitchen, I’ve been buying my way through the Maya Kaimal simmer sauces. In the past month I’ve cooked this recipe using their Spicy Vindaloo, Kashmiri Curry, Tikka Masala, and Madras Curry (not sponsored, just enjoying the line). All worked really well.
- Cauliflower: My main recommendation here is to buy white or, perhaps, orange cauliflower. Wayne came home with purple cauliflower one night and it just didn’t look as appetizing mixed in with the simmer sauce. Tasted fine, this is just an aesthetic preference.
- Toppings: I tend to rotate through toppings on this. Let me tell you everything I’ve tried. You can see chives, lemon wedges, peanuts, yogurt, and spicy bomba oil topping the bowl in the photos here. In the past, toasted cashews, chopped cilantro and basil, crumbled feta cheese, labneh, and arugula have been welcome additions. Chili crisp would be great. I like to add at least one crunchy element, and one herby green topping. Raid your fridge!
More Rice Recipes
- Green Rice
- Citrus Rice
- Kale Rice Bowl
- Sushi Bowl
- Vegetarian Paella
- Rice Salad
- Rice Pilaf
- all rice recipes
More Cauliflower Recipes
- Simple Weeknight Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Caponata
- Pickled Cauliflower
- Chickpea Cauliflower Korma
- Beer-Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta
- Simple Cauliflower Soup
- Rainbow Cauliflower Rice Bowl
- all cauliflower recipes
Premium Ad-Free membership includes:
-Ad-free content
-Print-friendly recipes
-Spice / Herb / Flower / Zest recipe collection PDF
-Weeknight Express recipe collection PDF
-Surprise bonuses throughout the year
One-Pot Indian-Spiced Rice with Cauliflower and Tofu
I have recommendations for alternative rice and topping ideas in the post up above if you are looking for more ideas. Also, see above for different store-bought simmer sauces I’ve tried and liked.
- 1 1/3 cup jasmine rice
- 2/3 cup quinoa
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 3 1/3 cups water, plus more if needed
- 1 medium cauliflower, trimmed into small florets (about 3 cups)
- 12 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups / 12 ounces store-bought Indian simmer sauce
- Topping ideas: lemon wedges, herbs (chives, cilantro basil) , chile oil, labneh or yogurt, toasted peanuts or cashews
-
Combine the rice and quinoa in a strainer, rinse a couple times, and drain. Transfer to a large pot and add the salt and 3 1/3 cups water. Place over medium-high heat until the water comes to a simmer, then cover and dial back to low heat. Cook 10-15 minutes, or until rice is tender.
-
Stir in the jar of simmer sauce along with the cauliflower and tofu. Bring back up to a simmer over medium heat and then dial back again to low. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender, or to your liking. Stir in more water, 1/3 cup at a time, if the rice seems to be drying out at all, you also want to avoid scorching the rice on the bottom of the pan.
-
When everything is cooked through, taste and add more salt if needed. Serve in bowls topped with lots of chives, peanuts, a bit of yogurt, and a drizzle of chile oil if you like. Enjoy!
Serves 4-6.
Related Recipes
A Simple Brown Rice Sushi Bowl
This sushi bowl recipe is simply a de-constructed sushi roll - brown rice, tofu, avocado, toasted nori and green onions served with a simple citrus-soy dressing. Simple and delicious.
Bryant Terry’s Amazing Green Rice
A very special green rice. A blender of green juice made from kale, spinach, and a creamy stock is cooked with onions, garlic, green pepper, and long-grain rice. It all cooks together into an intensely green and fragrant pot of fluffy grains.
Macro Bowls
The macro bowls featured in Joe Yonan's Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking - nutty brown rice, a rainbow of vegetables, and a miso-tahini dressing you'll want to put on everything.
Post Your Comment
Comments
This was really good! I didn’t go the one-pot route – I roasted the veg and made rice/quinoa in rice cooker then combined everything. A ķeeper for sure! Thanks, Heidi.
I’m sorry but this recipe really did not work for me. The cauliflower doesn’t cook. So I ended up with overcooked rice and raw cauliflower. I used a whole jar of simmer sauce as well and because of the amount of water you need to add, the flavour gets far too diluted.
This is delicious and was very easy! It makes a lot and is very satisfying.
Since I don’t need to constrain myself to one-pot cooking, I opted to roast the cauliflower for added flavor; I will add broccoli or pea pods or other colorful items next time.
Thanks Beth, happy you enjoyed it!
Here is an easy alternative, called bhasbhatta.
Heat ghee or oil in a pot/instant pot. Add hing, zeera, bay leaves, ‘big’ cardamom, regular cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, dried red chilly, whole black pepper.
Add cauliflower, cabbage (cut in big pieces, attached to the stem), peas, sliced potatoes (if you want you can fry them lightly first). Broccoli would work too.
Add rice, quinoa, or another grain. You could also add an equal quantity of a lentil if you want (this is khichdi), and if so add turmeric at the beginning.
You could also add paneer, tofu or soya nuggets, but this is optional.
Add water, to about the first line of your finger. Two cups of water per cup of rice is a good approximation – but think about what vegetables you’ve added and how much water they may lose in cooking and adjust accordingly.
Add salt!
Yum! Serve with papad and some pickle, yoghurt, and cucumber pieces.
Thanks for this Arundhati – love the idea of adding a wider range of vegetables like cabbage.
More Recipes
Weekly recipes and inspirations.
Popular Ingredients