Tuesday 15 June 2010

Broccoli-Seasame stir-fry


When I am very young I read about broccoli in English story books.  Most children,  in the books I read,  hate to eat broccoli  and their parents made sure they eat broccoli because it is very good for health. I used to wonder how that vegetable would look !!  I saw broccoli for the first time after I came to Germany. A green coloured cauliflower !!! I tasted it for the first time in mensa (canteen). In canteen they used to serve a cup of boiled broccoli. To tell the truth I hated it on my first encounter itself. Rajender loves this vegetable (thats very strange !!!). He has read that broccoli has many anti-cancer compounds and I am sure that is the reason for his broccoli love :).
 

The scientific name of broccoli is Brassica aleracea. It is rich in cancer fighting phytochemicals and anti-oxidants. Broccoli is high in Vitamin C, K and A. It is also a rich source of dietary fiber. It is also shown to have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.

I hated broccoli until I found this recipe. Whenever I came across broccoli in grocery shop I felt a sense of guilt running deep inside me.  The first reason for this is,  Rajender loves it and I am not ready to cook it for him and the second reason is,  I am avoiding such a nutritious veggie.  I was sure that Indian way of cooking cannot make this veggie any better. More and more you cook this veggie,  worser it becomes. So I tried to find a non-Indian recipe version for this vegetable (in internet, sorry I do not remember the source) and  here it is for you :



Ingredients :

Broccoli- 1 no
Lime- 1 no
Seasame- 2 tbspns
Red chilli flakes- 1 tspns
Jeera seeds- 1 tspn
Garlic- 2 cloves
Olive oil- 2 tbspns

Method :

Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces as shown in picture. Make thin slices of garlic. Squeeze out the juice from half lime piece. First, steam the broccoli until it is cooked but it should retain its firm texture. The steaming process takes approximately 5-8 minutes. Now heat a pan. Add olive oil. When the oil gets heated add seasame, jeera and sliced garlic. Fry for a few seconds until the seeds splutter and the garlic browns. Add steamed broccoli to this mixture. Simmer the flame and mix everything well. Remove from fire after 3 minutes. Sprinkle lime juice and chilli flakes on it.  Add salt to taste. Broccoli stir-fry will be ready to be served.

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : Make sure you do not over-cook this vegetable. It must be cooked but should retain its firmness. Steaming is the best option because boiling in water leads to the loss of cancer- protective phytochemicals. Try to retain its bright green colour. If you cook it too much it becomes light green in colour and doesn't look or taste appetizing. Follow the exact recipe. This veggie never mingles well with our Indian spices (my personal opinion), so avoid them. Never discard broccoli stem,  thats the tastiest part.  Happy cooking !!!

24 comments:

  1. Very yummy side dish Manju, i don't think you hate this any more, the bunny looks so cute holding the broccoli on it's back:-)

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  2. Simple and nutritious stir fry :D

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  3. Easy and delicious side dish, love it.

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  4. Looks too gud...I love the stir fry

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  5. Brocolli looks good with the spices you have added. Nice recipe.

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  6. very healthy one manju..addition of sesame sure give nice taste and make the dish super yum..i am not a grt fan of this veggie but loved the combination with sesame..nice one manju

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  7. ahhh....drooling pics...love tht brcolli head with teddy..delcious stirfry

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  8. Lovely and healthy.Nice way to jazz up the brocolli.

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  9. That is such an innovative recipe dear :)

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  10. Same pinch Manju!:)
    I was also avoiding broccoli initially.but,now found several ways to cook it according to our taste..am not sure,adding tamarind,tomato will spoil this veggie..but i add them.:)

    hmm..yours seems to be a simple one..will try soon!

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  11. Little tangy and a bit spicy..sounds a yummy stir fry.

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  12. love broccoli...your recipe with seasame seeds sounds easy, healthy and delicious...lovely pics..especially the first one...bunny looks so cute..:)

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  13. Manju,

    I like the broccoli stir fry. Looks delicious.

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  14. even i hate broccoli... i tried in indian cooking style .but it came out really bad... its really simple recipe and healthy too.. i'll definitely try dis... and i wanna tell u

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  15. Simple but yet a delicious stir fry, with a bowl of rice and ready to finish the whole bowl:)..

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  16. This looks amazing! Broccoli and sesame? I'm sold! :0)

    I'm glad this recipe has changed your tune on broccoli.. I love broccoli in any way! Thanks for sharing this

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  17. அருமையாக இருக்கின்றது....படங்கள் சூப்பர்ப்...என்னுடைய பொன்னு அந்த பிரோக்கோலி பக்கத்தில் உள்ள பன்னியை எடுத்துக்கவா என்று கேட்கிறாள்....

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  18. Geetha, unga ponna eduthuka sollunga :) Word verification removed :)

    Welcome Guna and Rice palette !!!

    Thank you friends :)

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  19. Lovely healthy and easy to cook dish.

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  20. Beautiful clicks, loved the teddy. Superb stire fry

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  21. yummy broccoli stir fry..nice clicks too..

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  22. Dear manju
    Broccoli stir fry looks great .Broccoli picture also looks lovely

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  23. Nice recipe to make brocolli flavourful..will surely try this next time..

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