I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’m beginning to prefer cauliflower rice over real rice. Amazing, considering there was a time I’d have scoffed at the idea of cauliflower anything and gladly eaten an entire plate of rice for dinner. Anyhow, I made this one a while ago, thinking cauliflower rice would be on everyone’s to-try list in the new year. At some point I realized I had a cauliflower jam-packed January on the blog. As for tofu, I totally recognize that this blog is constantly jam-packed with the stuff. So I put off hoisin tofu and cauliflower rice for a bit. As it turned out, I was only able to hold off until the second week of February. I was really excited about this dish. Cauliflower rice or not, this does not taste like some New Year’s resolution diet food. In fact, it was incredibly satisfying, and I think one of my all time favorites. The cauliflower rice worked particularly well here. I think the reason I’m starting to prefer cauliflower rice is because of that little bit of savory flavor you get, with just a touch of crispness you don’t normally get in rice. In this dish it complimented the tenderness of the pan-fried mushrooms and the sweet-stickiness of the hoisin sauce really nicely. Hoisin sauce is a great thing to have around if you’re a fan of Chinese inspired dishes. It’s one of the main ingredients in lot’s of Chinese restaurant classics like General Tso’s and moo shu. If you enjoy either of those dishes, it’s a safe bet that you’ll enjoy a more basic hoisin glazed dish like this one, which is similar, but but a bit lighter and not quite as sweet as the former two. Get a feel for using the sauce and you’ll probably want to experiment with it in all kinds of stir fries, barbecue dishes, and as a dip for finger foods.
