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Sweet Citrus and Broccoli Rice
I have to come up with evil schemes to get my kid to eat broccoli. He hates it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. Confession booth open? Can’t say I’m crazy about it either—it’s not so much the flavor I don’t care for as it is the structure.
I only like to eat it when it’s added to something like my Pasta Gratin or Penne Rigate.
But I wanted to find more ways to cook it and actually like it. I’ve always been obsessive when it comes to finding ways to eat things I don’t really care for. It worked with bell peppers but absolutely didn’t work for cilantro, I still hate it.
This time I threw some rice and onions into the equation. Plus, I sweetened it with a home-made stir-fry syrup that I spiked with fresh notes such as lemon, ginger and garlic. Must admit we really liked it like this.
Ingredients:
1 pound broccoli
2 small onions
4 to 5 cups cooked rice
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups water
rind of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 a lemon
thumb size piece of ginger
3 garlic cloves (2 bruised and 1 grated)
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper
Directions:
First things first, the steamed rice. I use my rice steamer for it. Can’t imagine my life without my steamer.
Combine the sugar with the water.
Use a vegetable peeler on your lemon, that way you avoid getting too much of the white pithy stuff underneath. It can taste bitter. If you like a heavier lemon flavor go for the rind of 2 lemons.
Bruise two of the garlic cloves and peel and slice up the ginger. Add it to the sugar-water.
Dump 1/2 a tsp chili flakes in there for a little kick and spice it up with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp fish sauce.
Bring it to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir now and then.
Cut really small florets of broccoli.
And slice an onion in quart-rings.
After roughly 20 to 25 minutes you will notice the syrup staying bubbly after stirring. Turn off the heat.
Sieve the syrup. It should make for a little less than a cup of syrup, it should be enough for 2 times. Store it in the fridge.
Heat 2 tbsp oil and sauté the onions over high heat for a minute or two before adding the broccoli florets.
Grate the garlic and add it to the skillet.
Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook the broccoli until tender but with a bite, 5 minutes or so.
Pour half the sauce in there—more if you like it really sweet—and let it simmer for a minute.
Add 4 or 5 cups of cooked rice and squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon in there. Let it all heat through.
I think it was the slight sweetness and the citrus flavor of the dish that worked miracles on the broccoli for us.
Serve it with something like chicken in sweet and sour sauce to get the full effect! Recipe to follow.
| Sweet Citrus and Broccoli Rice | |
| Ingredients |
2 small onions 4 to 5 cups cooked rice 2/3 cup sugar 2 cups water rind of 1 lemon juice of 1/2 a lemon thumb size piece of ginger 3 garlic cloves (2 bruised and 1 grated) 1/2 tsp chili flakes 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp fish sauce salt and pepper |
| Directions |
Combine the sugar, water, lemon peel, bruised garlic, peeled and sliced ginger, chili flakes, soy and fish sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes while stirring now and then, until it turned into a fragrant syrup. Cut the broccoli into very small florets and slice the onions in quart-rings. After roughly 20 to 25 minutes you will notice the syrup staying bubbly after stirring. Turn off the heat. Sieve the syrup. Heat 2 tbsp oil and sauté the onions over high heat for a minute or two before adding the broccoli florets and grated garlic. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and cook the broccoli until tender but with a bite, 5 minutes or so. Pour half the sauce in there, let it simmer for a minute before adding the rice and squeeze in the lemon juice. Let the rice heat through. |
| Meal type: | side dish |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Copyright: | © kayotickitchen.com |
18 Comments »
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It looks delicious!
The problem with broccoli is to get the timing right. The florets don’t need much cooking but the stalks do so it’s always difficult.
Your recipe sounds nommy.
That looks yummy! I will definitely be trying that soon. I hear you about the cilantro – too many bad experiences with raw mango salad topped with too much cilantro. Blecch! It’s ruined me for the stuff, sadly.
Does cilantro taste like soap to you? It does for me, at least when its fresh – when it’s in a cooked dish, it doesn’t so much. Anyway, there’s a reason for that: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html
This looks good to me. I like broccoli with soy sauce and garlic and sugar — this looks like a great variation.
There is an American broccoli salad from the 80′s that is sweet and savory — have you come across it? It’s in all of our church/club cookbooks from that era. (Yes, I AM an old lady…)
It’s the kind of dish you find at carry-in (potluck, bring a covered dish) parties, and it is always eaten up by the end of the day.
Combine:
1 bunch raw broccoli florets, cut up small (4-6 cups)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (salted or dry roasted)
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1/4 cup of red onion, chopped
Add dressing made from:
1 cup mayonnaise (Real Mayonnaise, of course)
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
Chill and serve.
So sorry for you, Kay, that you are cilantro-challenged. It’s delicious with all kinds of foods for, what, about half of eaters?
Lovely recipe Kay..That citrus sauce with the rinds looks awesome..You should try and Indian recipe with coriander, that should convert you…
This rice looks really tasty. Can’t wait to try!
I was going to suggest the broccoli salad, but Deb from Indiana beat me to it! That’s the same recipe I use, except I skip the raisins (it’s a textural thing for me). It’s almost like a broccoli slaw, so I think of that recipe as more of a summer dish. But I do get lots of requests to make it for get-togethers! :-) Yum, yum!
I fixed this rice for dinner last night and everyone loved it. This isn’t the first recipe of yours that I’ve tried and I’ll bet won’t be the last. Keep up the good work!
My soon-to-be 18 year old daughter just walked by and saw the storyboard of the citrus cooking and said “ooh that looks good” – I’m lucky, because we all love the “little trees”, so this is on my menu for next week!
p.s. Hi Kay! I’m still peeking in!
Sounds like a perfect way to eat broccoli to me. I am not a big fan of eating broccoli in it’s natural form (i.e. just cooked) as that is just not doing the trick for me, but I love it in stirfries and this sounds like another great dish!
Also not a big broccoli lover, but I think your sweet syrup will make me eat anything!
I am a broccoli lover so I tried this but I didn’t like it very much. The sweet citrus taste was interesting but I prefer my broccoli steamed with no flavouring :)
@Lucia:
I really can’t eat it just like that. I need some sort of sauce, any kind of flavor to go with it :)
i have a cure for your hatred of cilantro..
this recipe is best started in the morning
get a few pounds of flank steak shaved, or fillet what ever drives you
beat the crap out of it (mallet or fist)
2 lg onions sliced any you like
2-3 lbs of flank steak flattened and beaten into submission
2 cups cilantro
4cloves of garlic
1-2 cups mustard (any kind)
put half of the meat in large rectangular oven dish, add the rings of one sliced onion, 1 cup of cilantro leaves, the juice of 2 limes , half your mustard and half the garlic and S&P to taste
repeat with remaining ingredients and chill for a day ( 4 hours will do as well)
when its sat around for a while, chop everything up into bite size pieces
heat large skillet(cast iron or non stick) with a few tsp of dry oil about medium heat
cook meat mixture until it get to be a bit dry and crispy
serve over potatoes or as i like to do in little corn tortillas with spicy jalapeno salsa verde all over it
kinda like layered meat lasagna if you will..this is a loose recipe and and has a lot of room for the amount of ingredients you use..get funky and do whatever you like with so long as the basic items are in it, let me know how you like it! trust me cilantro changes when you cook it to death!
happy cooking….~sarah
just realized you need 4 limes for the entire dish..the juice of 2 per layer..sorry if im confusing a bit..im not a recipe writer..
where can i find the recipe of your “chicken in sweet and sour sauce”
you said recipe to follow but i didnt find it, hope you can post the link
thanks, love your food im making this tomorrow!!!
i just made this today and it was delicious, easy and quick!!!
i added some cubes of grill chicken breast for a full meal
fantastic, kids love it!!!!
thanks