Asian-inspired broccoli and carrot recipe

Hello, dear neighbors! Do you like broccoli? I personally didn’t use to — and my husband even less so– until I stopped steaming or boiling it – the worst possible death for a vegetable, I hear. Stir-frying it is definitely a better option for us, especially when I start the process with coconut oil and finish with a little coconut milk. Both ingredients remove the bitterness of the broccoli. As we rarely only eat just one vegetable in our meals, I add some carrots to the dish. With a little grated ginger root and some tamari, the whole thing becomes an Asian-inspired dish, which means I usually serve it with rice.

A note for sulfite-intolerant people: although high in sulfur, which is not the same as sulfites, broccoli is one of cabbage-related vegetables that my husband is able to eat. Lucky for me!

Ingredients (serves 2 )

– 250 g broccoli

– 150g carrots (2 to 3 carrots)

– 1 good TBSP coconut oil (you want to really coat the broccoli with it)

– one small piece of fresh ginger

– 2 tsp tamari

– 1 to 2 TBSP coconut cream (i.e. the fatty part of coconut milk; I buy mine organic, with guar gum as the only added ingredient, and freeze it in small portions after opening the can)

equipment: a wok (or a non-stick skillet) and a large enough lid to cover it completely

How to:

1. Detach broccoli florets from the trunk. Brush the carrots and cut into sticks. Peel the ginger.

2. Heat coconut oil in the wok, lower the heat and add the broccoli. Add the carrot sticks after the broccoli has turned a vibrant green. Grate the ginger over the vegetables, stir with a wooden spoon (or with chock sticks for more authentic cooking 🥢), add about 50 ml water and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the water has almost entirely evaporated. We like our vegetables a little crunchy, but if you don’t, you will need a little more water and a longer cooking time.

Vibrant green broccoli, carrot and ginger.  The white pieces are from the peeled broccoli stem — I add it when it isn’t too stringy.

3. Add the tamari and the coconut cream, stir and cover again, just long enough to heat the sauce and make sure everything is well combined (and melted if the coconut cream has come from the freezer).

Vegetables with tamari and frozen coconut milk, before covering again.  It is only a matter of seconds before the meal is ready.

With a tomato salad as a starter course, and rice on the side, this easy-to-make dish is one of the meatless summer meals I like to make in the evening, even when it is hot outside. And believe me, dear neighbors, it has been hot lately over here! Last Friday I almost got a sunburn while waiting in line at the local farmers market! Not a drop of rain in sight yet. This exceptional drought hasn’t stopped some of my baby plants from taking root – which fills me both with happiness and awe, and makes me forget somewhat how few green beans I will be able to freeze this year. They are such a precious commodity that I swore not to ever complain again about backaches from picking them! 

Have a nice week, dear neighbors, here are some photos of my feisty plants!

This Graham’s sage nicely filled in an empty spot between the rose bushes and the lavender, exactly what I needed it to do.  This summer none of the water I save when washing and prepping vegetables went on the flowers.  It was all reserved for the tomatoes and beans.

This one lupin, transplanted at the same time as its brother further to the left, shot up in spite of the drought! Actually, it has started to give flowers since the photo was taken a few days ago.  Look at the dry ground and the pitiful lawn…

These didn’t mind the sun at all!  I love them, they really brighten up the front of our house.

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