Cauliflower rice isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and sometimes you really want (and need) something starchy to pair with your meals, so I developed this, which I dub the best Paleo rice replacement ever. It is made from the malanga root and is just as easy to make as cauli-rice and helps soak up the juices on your plate. You can serve this rice replacement without the seasoning if you want a plain white “rice” option with your meal and with dishes traditionally served with white rice, such as Lomo Saltado and Pabellón Criollo.
Ingredients
For Plain White "Rice"
- 2 malanga roots or 1 small taro root (about 1 to 1½ lbs [450 to 680 g])
For Puerto Rican Yellow "Rice"
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
- 1 tbsp (15 g) Sofrito
- ½ tsp fine Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp (2 g) ground turmeric
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
How to Make It
- To prepare plain white “rice,” peel the malanga roots and cut each into 4 or 5 large chunks.
- Place a few chunks in a food processor and pulse for 8 to 10 seconds. Scrape down the sides with a spatula and remove any large pieces that did not begin to rice. Pulse for 8 to 10 more seconds, then empty the processor. Add any large chunks that were removed and repeat the process until the entire root is ground up. Be careful not to overprocess, otherwise it will turn the “rice” into more of a doughlike consistency.
- Place a vegetable steamer basket in a pot with a lid and pour about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water in the bottom of the pot. Heat it over high heat.
- Place the riced malanga in the steamer basket, spreading it evenly over as much of the surface as you can. If it is a small basket, you may need to work in batches (you don’t want the malanga layered too thick or the inside won’t cook).
- When the water boils, cover the pot with the lid and lower the heat to a low boil. Steam the malanga rice for about 10 minutes. About halfway through, carefully stir the malanga rice around to help with even cooking.
- Carefully remove from the steamer basket and fluff the cooked malanga rice with 2 forks.
- To make Puerto Rican–style yellow rice, while the malanga is steaming, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sofrito, salt, turmeric and black pepper and stir for 2 to 4 minutes (longer if cooking with frozen sofrito), until sizzling and fragrant. Add the cooked malanga rice to the pan and quickly stir to combine and coat it, letting the flavors combine for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the pan immediately and serve.
