Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Pexels.com
I have always been intimidated by the complexities of Asian flavors (recognizing, of course, that the only Asian flavors I have interacted with have been in Georgia, Alabama or Tennessee). On MasterChef, I watched a woman from a Chinese family make an amazing dumpling dish with a broth that judges couldn’t stop raving about. I wanted to taste such a broth. Perhaps I came a little closer to that last night, with a veggie stir fry I made from Mexican squash, a green pepper, a head of broccoli and a half bag of carrots – all things that needed to be used this week.
I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce (1 tsp has 90 mgs of sodium compared with 700 mgs in LOW SODIUM soy sauce!) and freshly grated ginger paste from a tube that I got at the grocery store. I made up for the sodium savings with the block of “chicken” bouillon I used for the broth and to make the cauliflower “rice.”
Here is my humble offering of veggie stir fry with cauliflower “rice.”
Ingredients:
2 tbs sesame oil
1/4 tsp chili oil
1 head of broccoli, separated into florets
1/2 onion, diced
3 carrots, julienned
2 Mexican squash, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1/4 c coconut aminos
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs coconut sugar
3 tbs ginger paste
2 cups of broth (I used No Chickn Bouillon Cubes from Sprouts)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Dash of sriracha as desired
For the rice:
2-3 tbs sesame oil
1 – 2 bags of riced cauliflower (depending on how much you need. 1.5 bags fed me and Andrew nice helpings for last night’s dinner and leftovers for lunch today). You can rice cauliflower yourself if you have an amazing blender or a food processor. I got riced bags because they were on sale but I usually do my own.
2 eggs, beaten
For the veggies:
Bring a half stock pot of water to a boil
Add a bouillon cube and let it dissolve. Remove from heat after 2 minutes. If you already have chicken, veggie or other broth, skip this step. But warm the broth you have.
Heat sesame oil and chili oil together in a wok or sauté pan. I use a wok.
Add in the following order: broccoli (cook for 2-3 minutes), bell pepper (cook for 2 minutes), carrots (cook for 2-3 minutes), Mexican squash (mix and cook for 1 minute)
Add coconut aminos, lime juice, garlic powder, coconut sugar, ginger paste, salt, sriracha, and broth. Mix with a wooden spoon every now and then, cooking everything together for about 5-7 minutes. Eyeball your veggies and adjust your time. You want them cooked but not soggy. Taste your sauce throughout! I learned that on MasterChef.
Transfer veggies to a serving platter or dish (sauce will be runny). You only have to do this now if you are using the same pan for the rice.
For the “rice”
In a clean wok or sauté pan, heat 1 tbs sesame oil. You might want to add sliced scallions or fresh ginger to the hot oil.
Add “rice” and cook for 5-7 minutes until well coated in sesame oil, fragrant and beginning to brown.
Add 2-3 cups of broth, and cook for another 5 minutes until broth is absorbed and “rice” looks fluffy.
Make a well in the center of the “rice.”
Add another 1/2 to 1 tbs sesame oil.
Slowly pour in eggs.
Stir eggs slowly until they begin to soft set.
Stir the soft scrambled eggs into the rice.
Plate it up by placing a mound of rice on a plate or in a bowl and spooning veggies on top, making sure to get lots of sauce.
ENJOY!
*Note: Mushrooms and tofu would have put this over the top.*
SaraInRealLife 