This Asian-Inspired Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe is made with classic flavors and healthy ingredients. This healthier classic will make saying goodbye to your favorite takeout restaurant a little bit easier.

Once upon a time, my husband and I sold everything we owned and moved to China. It’s kind of a long story – one that involves flaky friends, rock n’ roll, and following one’s dreams against the odds. We ended up living in Beijing for just a handful of months, but I’ll never forget what an experience it was learning how to live in a different country.

Tasks that were simple back home became adventures in Beijing. Paying bills, taking the bus, ordering dinner – all very different experiences when you can’t speak the language or read street signs. The challenge of this life was my second favorite thing about living in China. The first thing? That was getting to eat Chinese food every day.

I’d been a lover of Chinese food all my life. Of course, the cuisine in Beijing was completely different than what I grew up with back in Connecticut. There, the Chinese food I knew consisted of Fried chicken in sticky sweet sauces, neon red pork on a stick, and crispy fried egg noodles with duck sauce. In Beijing, I experienced ingredients like lamb, potatoes, and tomatoes in a whole new way. Fresh herbs, hot peppers, and tangy vinegar adorned dishes that will forever remain etched in my memory. The dumplings though – those dumplings haunt my dreams.

Asian-Inspired Cauliflower Fried Rice

The Chinese food in my current city of Austin, Texas is a little more diverse than what I’d enjoyed back in the northeast. In Austin, you can find things like dim sum, hot pot, and Mongolian BBQ. The standard Americanized takeout places aren’t quite like they were back home, but they do offer most of the staples I grew up with.

Chinese takeout is one of my go-to comfort foods. When I’m feeling down in the dumps, I have often sought solace in a bowl of fluffy rice and stir-fried vegetables. Making a tasty stir-fry at home is simple enough, and actually pretty healthy if you go light on fats and sauces. The rice is a major carb bomb though!

To lighten things up, I sometimes swap the rice out for minced cauliflower like in this Asian-Inspired Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe. I used ghee and coconut aminos to make my fried cauliflower rice so it would be suitable for paleo diets. You can absolutely use another type of fat or cooking oil if you prefer. You can also substitute the aminos for soy sauce or tamari sauce.