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!
