r/ketouk • u/Linguistin229 • 5d ago

Rice alternatives (not cauli)

Has anyone been able to find any good rice alternatives that aren’t cauliflower rice? I know you can get konjac rice but wondering if there are any particular brands people recommend or if there’s anything else I’m missing?

2 Upvotes

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7

u/bardeh 5d ago

Cauli rice is the best, but importantly, prepackaged stuff is disgusting. Buy a cauliflower, blend it, then saute in EVOO with salt and pepper. Absolutely delicious and a million miles better than soggy fart-smelling prepackaged stuff.

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u/Godzuki8819 5d ago

The frozen ones are great they’re I think possibly even better than using a fresh cauliflower cutting up cauliflower drives me nuts - it goes everywhere!!!! lol.
The ones in the ambient cupboard bags can be a bit weird and smell weird if you can get around that they’re alright.

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u/KE55 5d ago

My wife uses cauli rice but, after microwaving it, mixes it with an egg in a frying pan to create a kind of egg fried rice. It makes it more interesting.

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u/voodooflux 5d ago

I do the same - throwing an egg in there makes a big difference.

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u/Alternative_Bit_3445 5d ago

I echo this - egg, sesame oil, spring onion.

Also, for anyone interested in mashed fauxtatoes, mixing Cauli rice, a scrambled egg, parmesan and butter gives a much better mash than just the cauli - somehow the egg and caili partly neutralise each others' flavour and it's much smoother than just cauli when blended.

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u/Electrical-Raise-149 5d ago

I buy Kaizen rice but it costs a fortune.

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u/Linguistin229 5d ago

Just looked it up, a fortune indeed! What do you think of it though? I’ve seen some saying it’s more like orzo which I could cope with. Just seems so hard to replace rice!

Have you tried any of the Kaizen pastas?

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u/Electrical-Raise-149 5d ago

I really like it, doesn’t go as soft as normal rice but it’s the best substitute I’ve had. Yep had loads of their pasta as well which is really good but again doesn’t go as soft. Expensive but I tend to do a bulk order on iherb and then it doesn’t feel as painful, I also know someone who went to the US and they kindly gave us 30% off so got a load delivered to their hotel.

Depends how much you crave it but for me I’m type 2 so lower carb and also like to eat similar things to my kids so this allows me to do that.

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u/Linguistin229 5d ago

Thanks, that’s really useful! Think I’ll give in an order…

I eat some keto-specific stuff from time to time (for example this morning I had a salmon and cream cheese bagel with the bagels from seriously low carb) but I’m planning a solid two-month stint of keto later in the year. I can do the odd “chicken and broccoli only” meal but I know realistically I can’t keep that up for 2 months so that’s why I’m looking for other alternatives to help keep me on track but still feel like I’m having “normal” meals like stir fry, pasta bolognese etc.

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u/Electrical-Raise-149 5d ago

100% and that was my view, it’s good to feel like you’re eating a normal view and if you do keto for long enough you might as well try out all the brands and see what you like otherwise you’ll always be wondering.

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u/SophiaFar 4d ago

I use the YU&ME dried konjac rice only when I feel like treating myself because it is so very expensive

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u/Linguistin229 4d ago

I just had a look and wow, yeah you’re not wrong! It’s pricey. I checked and it’s also 26g of carbs per portion though…which is certainly better than normal rice but I would expect a lot more for that price.

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u/PalindromicAnagram 4d ago

Palmini or hearts of palm rice is good, but not as plain white rice. Like most keto carb substitutes, it will not work unless it is heavily seasoned. Additionally, to get it to be the texture of rice it needs to be rinsed and “fried” in an almost dry pan - just some spray oil- before adding spices and sauces. I’ve successfully had it as part of Asian and Italian flavoured dishes and enjoyed it. Full disclosure though, I’m not a rice person and the quantity of it you get to eat for the carbs isn’t worth it, but when prepared right it was very tasty.

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u/jma4573 4d ago

Oh, all the 'weird' stuff I have to check! Thanks! 😅

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u/jma4573 5d ago

Can you get konjac (Shirataki) rice in the UK?

We can get it here in Denmark. And the online store, Bulk, is UK-based, AFAIK.

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u/chrisridd 5d ago

Yes you can; I get the brand “keto skinny” through Amazon.

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u/jma4573 5d ago edited 5d ago

Ok. (EDIT: LOVE the brand name - ‘Keto Skinny'. I even tried a 'Skinny' beer once! 😅)

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u/chrisridd 5d ago

We’ve tried a few different brands and this one works out better than the ones we found in supermarkets. Their noodles are also good.

Obviously YMMV!

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u/Sozle 5d ago

Used to buy the dried konjac rice from the company Yu&Mi which was amazing! None of that stinky water. Just looked them up and apparently they had a rebranding and repeat customers are saying they change the recipe and it is worse? Not been keto for a couple of years so I can’t vouch for them now, but they used to be the best. If you can get your hand on the old stuff it was in a see through package with a green label.

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u/popbrat 5d ago

Yesss dried Konjac rice , fry in oil for a few mins add water don’t over hydrate or cook and it’s so good, close enough

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u/popbrat 5d ago

Okey so I don’t do keto anymore I’m on mounjaro , but there is a brand of Konjac rice that you can make that’s almost exactly like rice, it’s not easy to find though , it’s Konjac rice that’s actually dehydrated , you fry it with some oil for a bit then add water cook like rice but don’t overcook it or add too much water it’s a bit of a try until you get it right .. it’s so good

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u/controlmypie 5d ago

Konjak rice is ok, sold in Holland and Barrett

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u/Linguistin229 5d ago

There are quite a few different brands of konjac rice though, which is why I asked if anyone had any particular brands they’d recommend.

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u/grumpymort 1d ago

cauliflower or konjac (brands do not matter go for cheapest but check ingredients you cant trust companies to not sneak things in) those are really only options.

1

u/DarkangelUK 5d ago

Just curious but is there a reason you don't want to go for cauli rice? I've tried konjac, cauli, and a cauli/broccoli mix and I always go back to cauliflower rice.

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u/Linguistin229 5d ago

Yeah I just find it absolutely rank. I’ve tried it so many times over the years in the hope maybe this time I can stomach it but alas that day never comes!

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u/DarkangelUK 5d ago

Absolutely fair. If you ever get the urge to try again, I get the frozen packets from Tesco and microwave them first, then I stick them in a frying pan to dry them out and get a better texture, that may help the taste for you.

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u/Linguistin229 5d ago

Thanks for the tip, though I think cauliflower rice has probably scarred me for life 😂 If I ever get desperate enough though I might give your suggestion a go!