Our first recipe ever
is a yummy lettuce and broccoli stir fry on a bed of black rice. This is a
spicy dish based of the traditional Chinese lettuce stir fry recipe. We’ve
jazzed it up a bit by adding broccoli and ground cashews. The black rice is not
traditionally eaten with lettuce stir fry but we find it faboo and I’m sure you’ll
agree!
As the iceburg
lettuce lacks much nutritional value the broccoli, cashews and black rice are a
delicious way of getting your daily lot of vitamins into you.
Black rice was so prized
in ancient China that it became known
as ‘forbidden rice’ as the nobles kept every last bit of it, forbidding
commoners to eat it. It’s high in antioxidants, fiber and vitamin E, and has a
chewy texture that complements the lettuce’s lack of bite.
We use extra hot
chilli powder in this recipe but if you don’t like spice too much just dial it
down a bit.
Ingredients:
·
1 head iceburg lettuce
·
1 small head of broccoli
·
2 teaspoons soy sauce
·
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
·
3/4 teaspoon brown sugar
·
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
·
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
·
1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger
·
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon dried hot crushed chilli
·
1/2 teaspoon salt
·
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil (such as Kadoya)
·
2 handfuls ground cashews
Preparation:
Tip: Black rice takes
longer to cook than white rice so allow more time as the stir fry is quite
quick. To speed up the process soan and then rinse the black rice beforehand.
1. Add a cup of black
rice to 2 cups of water (use 2 cups of water with every 1 cup of rice). Generally
it takes about 30 to 40 minutes but we just take it off the heat when it’s
done. Some say unsoaked black rice takes longer – we never soak it and never
cook it for longer.
2. Wash the lettuce,
drain and separate the leaves. Make sure the lettuce’s super dry. Cut or rip the
leaves into pieces about 2 centimetres or so wide.
3. Combine the rice wine
or dry sherry, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring. Set aside.
4. Grab 2 handfuls of
cashews and grind in a mortar and pestle. Don’t grind to a powder, keep it a
bit chunky to add some crunch.
5. Heat a wok or frying pan on medium-high heat
and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the ground cashews garlic, ginger and red
pepper flakes. Stir-fry until aromatic (5 - 10 seconds) and add the lettuce.
Stir-fry the lettuce, adding a bit of salt. Once the lettuce has reduced in
size a bit add the lettuce. Stir fry for about 1 - 2 minutes, until the lettuce
leaves begin to wilt and the broccoli is hot.
6. Give the sauce a
quick mix and stir it into the wok or pan. Stir-fry for 1 - 2 more minutes,
until the lettuce turns dark green. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame
oil. Serve over black rice immediately.
Stay tuned for some more delicious recipes including vegan ice cream, Indian Chana Masala, a Sri Lankan lotus root curry, empanadas and a fresh basil pesto on buckwheat pasta.
We'll post photos when possible.
Your feedback is welcome!