broccoli

vegetarian bi-bim-bap

by Heguiberto on December 2, 2011

I’ve wanted to make bi-bim-bap at home forever but have always been put off by the amount of work involved. All that chopping, individually cooking everything then assembling the dish seemed monstrously time-consuming and a bit annoying. The bi-bim-baps I’ve had at Korean restaurants are all served in one of those really hot stone pots (dolsot). Often you just crack a raw egg over the dish, mix all the lovely ingredients together and enjoy. The egg cooks perfectly in the hot pot and the rice at the bottom forms this marvelous toasted crust of which I’m particularly fond. Delicious!

colorful and flavorful vegetarian bi-bim-bap

colorful and flavorful vegetarian bi-bim-bap

I remember as a kid every now and then my mother would burn her rice and get super upset about it. What to her was a disaster to me was a treat because I loved eating the slightly burned and smoky crust. Anytime I eat bi-bim-bap I feel that there is somehow a bit of Brazil in the dish.

I regard bi-bim-bap as a version of paella or pilaf. All of them are rice dishes mixed together with other ingredients. Here are some other recipes for it: here, here and here.

fern brake

fern brake

My dish calls for what to me is a novel ingredient, fern brakes. I found these dried and rehydrated at my local Korean market. I bought both types but since they need to soak overnight, I used the rehydrated ones. They have a lovely tea-like aroma and mild flavor, somewhat like subtle fiddlehead ferns.

To make this vegan, simply leave off the eggs.

vegetarian bi-bim-bap

1½ cups Thai Jasmine rice
3 small zucchinis – julienned with a bit of salt sprinkled over
2 medium carrots – julienned
1 cup broccoli florets
2 bunch spinach
3 eggs
½ red bell pepper – julienned
½ orange bell pepper – julienned
1 container brown beech mushroom
1 cup of soy bean sprouts (nato sprouts)
1 cup fern brakes
1lb firm tofu cubed
8 cloves garlic minced/smashed
2 heaping tbsp Gochujang hot pepper paste
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
olive oil
toasted sesame seed oil
sea salt

To make the rice:

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a saucepan on temperature high. Add rice and give it a good stir. Add 2½ cups of water, stir again. Bring to a boil, stir again. Reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes, until water has been absorbed. Remove from heat let it rest, lid on for another 15 minutes.

To prepare veggies:

slicing all the veggies for vegetarian bi-bim-bap

slicing all the veggies for vegetarian bi-bim-bap

All veggies must be cooked separately.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in broccoli florets and cook for a minute or so. Transfer to a bowl.

Drop in spinach and let it blanch for a minute or so, transfer to a colander, allow it to cool down a bit. Squeeze to remove as much water as possible.

Using the same saucepan add soybean sprouts and a dash of salt and cook for 10-12 minutes. Strain and squeeze to remove water.

Add 1 tsp of olive oil to a skillet, 2 cloves of garlic minced and sauté until aromatic. Add bean sprouts and cook for few minutes. Season with one tablespoon of soy sauce and ½ tsp sesame oil. Set aside.

Wipe skillet and return to burner. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 garlic cloves minced and mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms on high heat for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle with some salt, cover the pan and let the mushrooms sweat. Set aside.

Wipe Skillet with a paper towel. Add ½ tsp of olive oil, 1 clove of minced garlic and sauté. Add spinach and cook for another minute, season with 1 tsp of soy sauce. Set aside.

Wipe skillet off again. Add ¼ tsp olive oil. Drain zucchini; add to skillet and sauté for 1 minute. Set aside.

Repeat process, this time with no oil with peppers and carrots.

Return skillet to stove. Add 1 tsp of olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic minced, cook until aromatic. Drop in fern brakes and sauté for a couple of minutes, towards the end add 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tsp of sesame oil. Set aside.

layering some of the veggies over the rice

layering some of the veggies over the rice

adding the soy bean sprouts to the bi-bim-bap

adding the soy bean sprouts to the bi-bim-bap

To prepare pepper sauce:

Meanwhile, mix rice wine vinegar, 3 cloves of garlic minced and Goshujang pepper paste together. Once all mixed it should have the consistency ketchup. Taste it and adjust flavors if necessary. Look for spice, sweet, umami and sour flavors. The paste will be used as a condiment to the Bibimbap at the table.

To assemble dish:

Add a few drops of sesame oil to a non stick paella pan. Using a paper towel rub oil all over its surface including border. Add cooked rice and press with a spatula, making sure the surface and borders are filled. Cover, bring temperature to high and cook for about 10 minutes. This is where rice develops the smoky, brown, nutty slightly burned crust.

Time to assemble the dish! Place cubed tofu in the center over the toasted rice; arrange mounds of each of the ingredients interchangeably along the border, forming a kind of flower pattern. Cover and let it warm through. Serve with fried egg sunny side up and dollops of Goshujang sauce on top of everything. The flavors are out of this world!

rewarming everything before serving

rewarming everything before serving

You can serve this dish with banchans, or side dishes, like pickled cucumbers or/and kimchi. I was going to serve both but forgot to bring the kimchi to the table.

{ 4 comments }

mouth puckering mu shu tofu

by Heguiberto on October 3, 2011

A couple of weekends ago Steven and I spent the afternoon in the quaint northern California coastal city of Half Moon Bay, located just 30 minutes south of SF. It is fun to leave the city for a bit sometimes, just to decompress. The trip alone, down California highway 1, is already a magical experience for the eyes, ears and nose. I am enchanted with the rugged coastline, secluded beaches, beautiful cliffs, marine life, the sculptural Monterrey Cypress trees scattered here and there, and the scented air perfumed by the occasional waft of sea sprays, sea weed and the wild sagebrush that the coastal wind knows how to mix so well. If you have not yet done this quintessential trip you are truly missing out.

mouth puckering mu shu tofu

mouth puckering mu shu tofu

In the town of Half Moon Bay, we did a bit of window shopping, eventually ending up at the Ocean Books used books store. My favorite section is always where you find the cookbooks, which is where I headed. There I discovered The Complete Soy Cookbook by Paulette Mitchell. It is a bold title, though I’m not too sure about ‘the complete’ part. Nevertheless, it does have a bunch of recipes that I intend to try. This mu shu tofu is the first.

California coast along Highway 1

California coast along Highway 1

standing at the California Coast at Half Moon Bay

standing at the California Coast at Half Moon Bay

a grand and very sculptural Monterrey Cypress

a grand and very sculptural Monterrey Cypress

ocean pitted rock along the California coast at Half Moon Bay

ocean pitted rock along the California coast at Half Moon Bay

This recipe caught my eye because I used to enjoy mu shu pork back in the day. Aside from the fact that I misread the recipe and ended up using a ¼ cup of sherry vinegar instead of a ¼ cup dry sherry, two totally different things, the dish came out pretty good.

I am getting a puckered mouth as I remember this…..

I plan on making it again using dry sherry and perhaps with a bit of sherry vinegar because I actually liked the sour component in there. Of course much, much, much less of it lol

mouth puckering mu shu tofu

1 carrot
2 broccoli stalks and stems
4 flour tortillas
½ cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup baby Portobello mushrooms, slivered
1lb tray tofu, cut into finger sized sticks
½ cup water or vegetable stock
¼ cup dry sherry and a splash of sherry vinegar
¼ cup shoyu or tamari
2 tsp corn starch
3 tbsp olive oil
Hoisin sauce

Peel carrots and broccoli stems then pass through a mandolin to make fine sticks. Place broccoli florets in food processor and whiz it for a coarse grade. Mix with carrots and stems. The total amount should be about 6 cups.

raw shredded veggies for mu shu tofu

raw shredded veggies for mu shu tofu

Place dry sherry, sherry vinegar, shoyu, water or veggie stock and corn starch to a small bowl. Whisk it to incorporate.

Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Bring temperature to high. Add broccoli/carrot mix to it and sauté for about 5 minutes. It should still have a crunchy texture. Push mix to the side of the pan. Add remaining olive oil followed by the garlic. Let it sizzle for about a minute. Add mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes. Fold it with broccoli mix. Add sherry sauce to the broccoli/carrot mix and cook stirring until it bubbles and thickens. Add tofu and scallion, remove from heat, keep warm.

Meanwhile bring a skillet to high heat, place one tortilla in the pan and warm it up for about 30 seconds on each side. Transfer to a tray lined with a kitchen towel. Repeat process with remaining tortillas.

ready to wrap mouth puckering mu shu tofu

ready to wrap mouth puckering mu shu tofu

assembling mouth puckering mu shu tofu

assembling mouth puckering mu shu tofu

Assemble at table by spreading some hoisin sauce on tortilla, top with mu shu tofu, then wrap it like a burrito and chow down.

{ 5 comments }

roasted broccoli with tahini dressing

by Heguiberto on January 3, 2011

roasted broccoli with tahini dressing

roasted broccoli with tahini dressing

We are big fans of all vegetables from the Brassica family, be it broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, kohlrabi or what have you. These unsung heroes of the vegetable kingdom may not be as sexy as eggplant, as sensuous as zucchini, or as sweet as pumpkin, but Brassicas have their own individual charms. They’re versatile for one. Plus they’ll never make your mother concerned for your health. And they’re an adventurous, fun-loving bunch that are comfortable on every table, shine in almost all preparations and fit in nearly every cuisine from around the world. You can’t say that about the prickly artichoke or bitter melon.

At weirdcombinations, we’re dedicated to the Brassicas. Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, and all their cousins are always welcome in our kitchen. None of that second-class citizen, afterthought stuff for these babies. Here’s some of our faves to start out 2011 right: the classic delicious garlicky oven roasted broccoli, tropical-style shredded cabbage with mango, Indian gobhi, mad-scientist produced sautéed asparation, ramen noodle soup with mustard greens, kohlrabi ‘slaw, shaved Brussels sprouts and, if careful grooming isn’t your thing, collard greens in a hippie-friendly risotto.

Wow.

I saw this roasted broccoli recipe in the latest edition of Vegetarian Times. It sounded a bit Middle Eastern/Mediterranean/North African to me, as it is dressed with a warm tahini sauce. It’s easy to make and it came out so good! We had it with harrisa, pigeon pea and saffron studded bulgur. What a meal!

roasted broccoli with tahini dressing

1 head broccoli (florets plus stems with hard skin removed), cut up in large bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp tahini
1/3 cup water
salt
black pepper
red pepper flakes
juice of 1 lemon

Place broccoli in a large bowl and toss to coat with two tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay broccoli in a single layer on a cookie sheet and grill/roast for about 8-10 minutes under your broiler, turning once. Let tips of florets brown a bit. If necessary keep oven door slightly open to prevent steam from forming inside and over-cooking vegetables. No one likes soft and mushy broccoli. Think “pasta” and go for an al dente texture.

Meanwhile add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a saucepan followed by minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add tahini and water then stir to combine. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice.

Remove broccoli from oven and toss with dressing. That’s it!

{ 3 comments }

arroz de bacalhau com brocolis AKA salt cod & broccoli flavored rice

by Heguiberto on February 26, 2010

I got the idea for this dish from this wonderful arroz de bacalhau we had in the company of our dear friends, Luiz and Sávio, at a beach kiosk in Vitória while we were visiting back in early February. There the dish was served in those stunning and very authentic dark clay pots from Paneleiras de Goiabeiras The pots are a local, capixaba specialty in Espirito Santo.

salt cod & broccoli flavored rice

We loved sitting in the cool shade, enjoying the sea breezes, drinking Brazilian beer, eating fried fish and this amazing rice while gazing at the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and catching up. Aahhh!

breathtaking ocean view form our little kiosk in Vitoria

The rice cod dish on the beach looked spectacular because of the pot and they also displayed the broccoli at the top like a tiny green forest. Plus everything looks better with a golden beach and a deep blue sea in the background! I’m not that fussy at home, so I mixed all of the ingredients together. It still tasted just as good.

arroz de bacalhau com brocolis in Brazil

Arroz de Bacalhau com Brocolis AKA Salt Cod & Broccoli Flavored Rice

1 ½ lb salt cod
1 tsp black pepper corn
1 bay leaf
4 cups Basmati rice
½ white onion, chopped
1 bunch scallions (green and white parts), chopped
½ bunch Italian parsley, chopped
10 Spanish olives (Goya brand preferably), coarsely choppped
3 tomatoes, diced
½ red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3 crowns of broccoli, cut in small florets, steamed al dente
½ cup extra virgin olive oil or more
water

Preparing the cod:

Soak salt cold in ½ gallon cold water. Replace water 3 times in a 24h period to desalinate and re-hydrate the fish.

Drain cod. Add to a pan with enough water to just cover it. Add bay leaf and pepper corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to low and simmer for about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool completely in the cooking water. Drain and reserve ¾ cup of cooking water.

boiling salt cod with spices


Remove and discard skin and bones from fish trying to preserve chunks as big as possible. They will continue break apart with cooking so do your best to keep them whole.

Cooking the rice:

Rinse rice thoroughly. Add 3 tbsp olive oil to a pan over high heat. Add rice and toss till coated with oil. Add 5 cups of water plus reserved cooking liquid form fish. Stir. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce temp to low. Cook until water is absorbed. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from heat and keep pan covered

broccoli


Assembling the dish:

Place 3 tbsp olive oil in a paella pan or large deep skillet on high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté till fragrant. Stir in tomato and pepper. Gently fold in cod fish, scallion, olives, broccoli and cook for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper over fish. Carefully fold in rice. Drizzle with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and serve. If you like this dish check my other recipe:salt cod cod and chick peas

Learn more about the traditional clay pots:

{ 2 comments }

oven roasted broccoli

by Stevie on November 17, 2009

I love broccoli! I just do! Don’t ask me why.

I remember when George Bush, Sr. was in the White House he famously made some pejorative remark about this marvelous green vegetable. Silly man! I bet President Obama eats his broccoli without comment. I delight in eating mine, especially when its oven roasted in olive oil with garlic. It invariably turns out sweet and savory and a bit smoky. If you’re hesitant about this cruciferous wonder, then this is the recipe to try. If you’re already hooked, then you probably have made this before many times. I know that I have.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

1 bunch fresh broccoli, cut into large bite-sized pieces
6 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in slices
Kosher salt to taste
black and crushed red pepper to taste (just a dash will do)
2-3 tbs. olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl, tossing so olive oil and garlic thoroughly covers broccoli. Spread dressed vegetable on a cooking sheet. Place on highest rack under broiler. Broil about ten to 12 minutes, turning occasionally to have even cooking. You’ll know when it’s finished when it tastes tender and begins to char on the edges a bit.

This is a great side dish for almost any meal. Because it’s not boiled, it retains all of its vitamins. I love it with rice and beans or pasta with tomato sauce.

oven roasted brocolli

oven roasted broccoli

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vegetarian kimchi fried rice

by Heguiberto on October 20, 2009

With all of this kimchi that I made last week, it’s like we’ve been running the kimchi marathon, sort of like the spinach version from the spring. Maybe I should really say the kimchi Olympics to show my Brazilian pride. Yeah Rio de Janeiro 2016!

kimchi fried rice with optional fried egg

kimchi fried rice with optional fried egg

Besides the regular baechu kimchi, we made a wonderful silken tofu kimchi stiry fry and now this classic—sort of—kimchi fried rice dish. Even after these three, we’ve got about two pints of kimchi left, so who knows what that will be next? I hear that kimchi ripens as it ages. Apparently it’s the younger ones that are best from the jar and it’s recommended that you cook with the more aged ones, as the flavor tends to get more and more intense. My kimchi is now on its 15th day. I had a big sample of it yesterday while making the fried rice. And no, I am still alive and in good health for all you kimchi naysayers out there in the blog-iverse. I think that the ginger and garlic are most accentuated now while the heat from the chili peppers is fading. So next time, I’ll add more chili and less ginger and garlic. Live and learn. And as Julia Child famously said about cooking, ‘never apologize!” The cabbage is still crunchy and bubbly. I’m quite pleased with it myself. Yum! Maybe I will try making some kimchi soup with the cold fall weather on its way…

This recipe is “almost vegan” because I decided to add a fried egg on top for some extra protein, plus I was just feeling like having a fried egg. The egg is obviously optional, so leave it out if you have health concerns or don’t particularly like fried eggs. For more protein you can add some garden peas or even fresh fava beans for an East meets West version.

homemade kimchi

homemade kimchi

I love rice in almost any form and this dish is no exception. The kimchi rice tasted simply divine and went well with the mushroom tofu that Steven made to accompany it. The toasted sesame oil adds some earthiness and smokiness to make it incredibly good!

Vegetarian Kimchi Fried Rice

2 cups Thai Jasmine rice
¾ cup chopped kimchi with some of the juices
1 shallot chopped fine
1 & ½ cup broccoli florets and stems chopped same size and blanched
1 to 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp chili powder (I used Cayenne)
Pinch of salt
Fresh black pepper to taste
Egg (optional)

How to:

To prepare rice:

Rinse rice in running water for about a minute. Add to a medium sized pot with add 1 & ¾ cup of water and cover. Bring to boil then lower to simmer and cook rice till water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir a couple of times during the cooking process to prevent sticking. Remove from heat and leave covered for about 5 minutes to rest.

Add oil to a wok or in my case a non-stick paella pan over high heat. Add shallot and sauté for a minute or so till translucent. Add rice and broccoli, soy sauce, sugar, nutritional yeast, black pepper, salt and cayenne, and keep stirring. Add chopped Kimchi. Allow the rice mixture to warm through. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving platter. To fry the egg(s), use a non stick pan, add a dash of oil, break egg over it and cook on low temp for a couple of minutes. Remove and place it over rice.

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