Good morning friends, happy Tuesday! Today I’ve got a variation on one of my winter staples- rice porridge! It’s such a hearty, delicious, indulgent and healthy way to start the day that I come back to it again and again. And this variation, made with forbidden rice, is no exception. It takes a bit of time to cook up but it’s worth every minute. I love it for a weekend breakfast, when the rain is running down the windows and the wind is whipping the trees around. A warm bowl of rice porridge feels so cozy. Hope you love! xx- Sarah
this is one of those easy peasy throw together meals that will satisfy you in a hot second. well, at least it will if you love ginger and broccoli like i do- pretty much like a fat kids loves cake (thanks for that one 50 cent)
recipe after the jump
the what:
6 cups chopped broccoli
2 cups of forbidden rice, cooked
3 tablespoons chopped ginger
3 tablespoons mirin (available in the japanese section of your market)
3 tablespoons tamari
pinch of red pepper flakes, or more (optional)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
sesame seeds
the how:
cook two cups of forbidden rice (in my rice cooker i prefer 2 cups of rice to 2 1/4 cups of water)
chop broccoli into florets, set aside. i love the stems of broccoli too, if you haven’t tried eating those, chop them into chunks and include in your measurement. the bottoms of the stems can get tough and inedible, so make sure you’re taking note of the tenderness.
mix ginger, tamari, mirin, red pepper flakes and maple syrup.
in a large sauté pan, cook broccoli and 2/3 of ginger mixture on high heat. if the broccoli starts to stick, add a little water or more of the ginger sauce.
once broccoli has reached your texture preference, remove from heat.
serve in small bowls, with a couple spoonfuls each of rice and broccoli. mix the broccoli and rice, add a little extra ginger sauce if you’d like and then sprinkle with sesame seeds and eat up! * i also added a little siracha to mine before eating, love that extra spice!
i have never seen a crazier looking vegetable than this one. so i ignored romanesco for awhile, i dismissed it as a veggie trend with all of it’s neon coloring and psychedelic shapes- too fancy for this girl. but yesterday, i broke. i bought a head. it was sitting next to some purple cabbage and i had some oprah aha moment where i pictured it mixed into a stir fry all colorful-like. and i knew, we’re going to be friends, this bizarre vegetable and I. and so we are. it’s delicious, and funky and has a great texture. i’m a fan, romanesco, i’ll stick with you even when neon isn’t cool anymore.
the what:
1 head of romanesco broccoli, chopped
1 cup (dry) forbidden rice
1/2 of medium/large purple cabbage, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon of dark toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons shoyu (or substitute a little less soy sauce)
juice of one lime
2 green onions, sliced for garnish
siracha (optional)
the how:
prepare forbidden rice (i rinse thoroughly and then cook 1 cup of dry rice with 1 1/2 cups of water in our rice cooker). this can be done in advance or be cooking while you’re prepping the veggies.
heat sesame oil in a wok over medium heat. add onion, ginger and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes minutes. the onion should be softening.
add romanesco broccoli, one tablespoon of shoyu and the juice of 1/2 of the lime. mix it all up, cover and cook for 2 more minutes.
add cabbage, one tablespoon of shoyu and second half of lime. cook until the cabbage and romanesco are to your liking (I prefer a little crunch, but cook longer if you like a softer stir fry). When veggies are almost to your preference, add forbidden rice and one final tablespoon of shoyu (taste first and omit if you prefer it with less shoyu). I also add a few squeezes of siracha for some heat!
garnish with green onions. serve to amazed friends and family & enjoy!
