5:2 Fast Day Recipes: Chicken Jalfrezi with Cauliflower Rice

Before embarking on the 5:2, Tuesday night was Curry Night in this household. I wanted to recreate that occasion, but knew the pilau rice, naan bread and popadoms would have to go. Curries in themselves are quite healthy meals- packed with fresh vegetables, tasty spices and lean meat, it only takes a bit of tweaking in order to make them suitable for a fast night. My biggest concern was what to replace the rice with in order to make the dish both taste and look like the treat we were used to.

Having recently discovered courgette spaghetti, I'm already a big fan of substituting carbs for vegetables. So for this dish, grated cauliflower replaces rice. This brings down the calorie count substantially, but also tastes great. Cauliflower is already a popular side accompaniment to curries (Aloo Gobi, anyone?) and once fried, it has a wonderfully nutty flavour and even looks like rice.

For obvious reasons, I've omitted the ghee in this recipe and replaced it with some crème fraîche to add a bit of richness. 

Ingredients 

Serves 2

For the curry

2 medium chicken breasts, diced 340 calories

2 medium onions, 1 grated and 1 chopped 92 calories

Medium green pepper, sliced 16 calories 

Medium red pepper, sliced 19 calories 

1 red chilli, chopped 20 calories

400g chopped tomatoes 82 calories 

1 tbsp cumin 15 calories 

1 tbsp ground coriander 10 calories 

1 tsp garam masala 12 calories 

1 tsp turmeric 12 calories 

1 tsp salt 0 calories 

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, to garnish 5 calories 

1 tbsp low fat crème fraîche 12 calories

For the cauliflower rice

1 medium cauliflower, stems removed and grated.144 calories 

Salt and pepper, to taste 0 calories 

Total calories: 779

Calories per serving: 390

Method

In a large, heavy-bottomed casserole dish, sear the chicken breasts over a medium heat until they are browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Place the grated onion and all of the powdered spices into the dish and fry gently until the onion has softened. Stir often to prevent the spices from burning. Add the chopped onion and fry for a further 5 minutes. 

Add the chopped tomatoes, sliced peppers and browned chicken pieces to the pan along with 300ml of water. Stir until well combined, season with the salt and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add more water if nessescary.

To cook the rice, place the grated cauliflower in a frying pan and season with salt and pepper. Gently fry until it has browned slightly. This should take around five minutes. 

Just before serving, stir the crème fraîche into the curry and scatter over the chopped coriander. Eat immediately.