Stems, Stems, Stems: Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Kale Stem Kinpira

After the Burdock Kinpira not too long ago, I've been itching for more of that special Japanese sauté and simmer style plate of wholesome goodies.

Since I don't usually throw away edible stems and stalks of greens and veggies knowing I can find a nice way to incorporate them in my cooking, I had this huge pile of kohlrabi stems, kale stems, broccoli stems, chard stems, even bok choy stems. To a casual observer, it is just a pile of compost, but to me, it was heaven beckoning.

Simply chop into uniform size to facilitate even cooking. In a cast iron skillet, heat some sesame oil and sauté the stems; add in the chosen flavoring condiments, some braising liquid, cook till all the liquid is absorbed and the stems are cooked to satisfaction.

For flavoring, I went with Ponzu, apple cider vinegar, mirin, a touch of sambal oelek, and a generous sprinkling of smoked paprika for that bright color and cozy warmth. Just a splash of water as needed, enough to get the veggies softened and juices flowing. That's it.

Another batch got a slightly different flavoring: Worcestershire sauce, white vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, adjusted to taste. Since I make this kinpira-style dish often enough -- whenever there is a pile of stems to use up -- it's nice to change up the flavors to see if there is a new favorite in the horizon.

A bunch of mustard greens are growing in the garden. Tender baby mustard greens are a fantastic addition to salads. I love to pop a leaf in my mouth and wait for the sharp wasabi-like burst when munching it down. It starts off surprisingly sweet and then just explodes. Delicious!

Topped with some caramelized sweet onions and green chilies, garnished with some fresh baby mustard greens, this plate of stems got a boost from some carrot sticks I threw in for contrast while sautéing. Not a super-fancy dish or anything, but, quite satisfying to use up edible stems and stalks.

To make a feast of it, I serve some veggie pot stickers and a cleansing cucumber salad along with the kinpira.

Broccoli Stem Saute

Steamed broccoli florets with some cheese is a favorite side for the kids. They prefer just the florets, not much of the stalk/stem. So, I save the stem for this dish, a quick and easy side for weeknight.

Instead of pan-sauteing as shared in this method, toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper and roast  it in a 400°F oven in a single layer, for about 15 minutes or more as desired.

Ingredients
Broccoli stem, cut into uniform pieces
red onion, sliced
salt to taste
ground black pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Preparation

1. Steam the broccoli stems in a steamer or microwave; I simply add the steamer apparatus when I cook rice in the rice cooker. Sometimes, I find it easier to microwave the stems.
2. Heat oil in a pan, saute the red onions with a pinch of salt; add the steamed broccoli stems, saute some more; taste and adjust flavoring
3. Serve warm

Broccoli Salad with Blue Agave Nectar & Aka Miso Vinaigrette

Salads are so unassuming and ubiquitous that it is hard to bring them front-and-center, right under the spotlight. To me, what makes a salad is not just the mix of greens and veggies, but the dressing or vinaigrette that brings out the flavors and sets the mood for the meal.

Of course, oftentimes, the salad is our meal at home - tossed or layered - with harmonious ingredients thrown in, and some odd ones just because they are handy and need to be used up...

Typical Broccoli Salad usually has some bacon, sliced almonds and raisins, with a sweetish mayonnaise-based dressing.

My recipe is not very different in concept - I omit the bacon here since none of us at home eat it. Also, rather than traditional mayonnaise, I went with a quick and light dressing.

Fusion cuisine being my signature, the dressing is where I usually like to get creative for salads. The combination of mildly sweet Blue Agave Nectar; bean-ish, tangy, robust, salty Aka Miso; hot Sambal Oelek; biting fresh grated ginger and garlic, all seem to come together in a red wine vinaigrette with bland Canola oil, not the rich Olive oil for this wonderful Broccoli Salad.

Miso is basically fermented soybeans with some grains and salt. It has a complex flavor that is hard to describe. Among the White, Red, and Yellow Misos available readily in the market, White Miso (Shiromiso) is fermented for the shortest time with sweet and mild flavor. The Red Miso (Akamiso) is full-bodied and saltier than white. The Yellow Miso falls in-between Red and White.

Usually, one part vinegar to 3 parts oil makes a good vinaigrette. Depending on the type of vinegar and oil, and personal preferences, can increase the oil or decrease the vinegar for a good balance.

With all the bold flavors, for the sweetness to show through, I add a bit of home-made plum jam in this recipe, but any other favorite low-sugar jam stirred in would add an interesting touch to the dressing.

Since I love to experiment, and vinaigrettes are easy to play with, I enjoy creating unique ones. Maybe someday it would be fun to bottle and market these exclusive creations... Of course, it probably won't help the business if I just share them here:) No matter.

Ingredients
Broccoli florets, bite-sized
Cauliflower florets, bite-sized (optional)
Red grapes, sliced in half (or quartered if they are too big)
Chopped Spring onions

Sliced Almonds or Toasted Sunflower Seeds (or both)
Dried Cranberries (preferably unsweetened)
Unsweetened shredded dried coconut (optional)
Fresh Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Blue Agave Nectar & Aka Miso Dressing
1 to 2 Tbsp Organic Blue Agave Syrup
1 Tbsp Aka Miso (red miso)
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek
1 Tbsp home-made low-sugar Plum Jam (optional)
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup canola oil, plus more if desired

Preparation

Stir the Vinaigrette ingredients vigorously till well-combined.

Toss the salad ingredients together, drizzle some vinaigrette - generously if preferred. Top with grated Parmesan or Unsweetened shredded coconut, sliced almonds and dried cranberries.

Broccoli Kofta in Cilantro-Jalapeno Sauce

Vegetable koftas can be served up as croquettes for a snack or can be served up in a favorite sauce, to accompany rotis or rice.

Procedure is fairly simple: par-cook and chop the vegetable finely; add some spices, some chickpea flour as binder, shape into balls, and deep fry.

for the jalapeño-cilantro sauce:
2 jalapeños, chopped
2 cups chopped cilantro
2 cups water
1 Tbsp chickpea flour
salt to taste

Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli florets, no stalk/stem*
1 Tbsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp brown sugar
salt to taste
½ cup chickpea flour (more or less)
canola oil for frying
*save the stem/stalk for making miso pickle

Preparation

par-cook the broccoli florets in microwave;i don't usually add extra water, just the dampness from washing the florets seems enough to cook the florets

drain the florets, chop finely, mix in the spices and knead in the chickpea flour a little at a time to form a dough that can be shaped easily (not too brittle, not too soft either); shape into balls about the size of golf balls, or smaller

heat oil in a pan for frying, add the shaped broccoli balls and deep fry till brown and crisp on the outside and cooked through on the inside; drain on a paper towel lined plate, keep handy

combine the jalapeño and cilantro in a blender or food processor to make a fine smooth paste; heat a sauce pan, add the chickpea flour and toast it till it gets aromatic, (just a minute or two), then add the jalapeño-cilantro paste, some water, some salt to taste, and let it simmer gently till thickened; chickpea flour acts as a thickener in this sauce; add more water if the sauce consistency is too thick for your liking; simmer till flavors meld, till jalapeño and cilantro lose their rawness

off heat, drop the koftas in the sauce and serve immediately; kofta begins to disintegrate if it sits in the sauce for too long :-)

Serve warm with roti or peas & cumin rice.

broccoli soup

This recipe is sort of a trimmed down version of cream of broccoli soup as it uses 2% milk instead of heavy cream.

Among the many kitchen essentials my mom gave me as a wedding gift, the ones that get used the most are the pressure cooker, idli steamer and mixie (aka heavy-duty blender).

While I generally do not like to pressure cook vegetables, it works great for making vegetable soups.

for the roux:
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups 2% milk, warm
1 Tbsp butter, room temperature

Ingredients
1 head broccoli, coarsely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1-2 serrano or jalapeno, finely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
salt to taste

½ cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)
spring onions for garnish
sliced roasted garlic chips for garnish (optional)

Preparation

throw the broccoli, onions, garlic, serrano, with a pinch of salt and curry powder, in the pressure cooker with enough water and cook till mushy

meanwhile, make a roux of sorts:in a saucepan, add the flour and dry roast till flour turns golden brown, taking care not to burn; slowly stir in the butter without clumping; then add the warm milk gradually, while stirring constantly; add half the cheeses and keep stirring; let it simmer till it thickens a bit

using a potato masher or other suitable instrument, mash the veggies in the pressure cooker, add the sauce from step above, adjust flavors and let it simmer till well incorporated; serve warm topped with grated cheese, roasted garlic chips and chopped spring onions

Japanese-style cucumber, broccoli miso pickle

I use a lot of broccoli florets for my vegetable dishes and end up collecting a lot of unused stalk. I never throw them away. I just remove the outer woody skin, trim the stalks to remove any branches and throw them in a zipper lock bag and keep it handy to use in sambar, or sometimes just sauté them with the veggies, or sometimes, make this Japanese-style miso pickle.


This recipe is from Emi Kazuko's book, with slight modification.
Ingredients:
1 cup miso
1 Tbsp sake (or, plain white vinegar for its tang)
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
3-4 Serrano chilies, sliced or diced fine
3-4 broccoli stalk/stem (use florets in another recipe)
1 large cucumber
¼ tsp sesame oil (optional)
¼ tsp dry red chili flakes
1 tsp sushi vinegar (or, just plain rice vinegar and some sugar to desired sweetness) - optional

Preparation:

1. peel the cucumber every few centimeters or so to get a striped exterior; cut in half lengthwise and remove the inner pulp and seeds, cut into about 3-4" pieces; set aside
2. remove the outer skin of broccoli stem, trim the branches if any, and cut them into longish strips about 3"4" long; set aside
3. mix the miso, garlic, sake and chilies, keep handy
4. in a container, spread some of the miso mixture, lay the cucumber and broccoli stems in a single layer, add another layer of miso, and layer some more cucumber and broccoli stems; keep layering in this manner, top with miso mixture, cover and refrigerate for 5-7 days
5. remove from fridge, wash off the miso from the cucumber and broccoli stems thoroughly, pat dry
6. cut the cucumber into half-moon slices; arrange the pickled broccoli sticks and cucumber in a serving plate
7. whisk the dry red chili flakes, sesame oil and sushi vinegar, pour over the veggies and toss lightly; serve cold

Alternately, I sometimes skip step 7 above, sprinkle some dry red chili flakes and enjoy with some Indian style plain yogurt rice. The saltiness and tang and the bite from the chilies complement the plain yogurt rice really well.

pasta shells with broccoli

Pasta is one of the simplest, easiest and heartiest at my table. Unfortunately, my tummy can't handle a lot of it, so, I make it sparingly.

Usually, I just throw some veggies and flavoring; sometimes it is tomato or marinara sauce, sometimes white sauce with spices like rosemary, oregano and such.

This recipe has pasta shells, garlic, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini, pine nuts and some mushrooms. The sauce is like a white sauce, starting with a roux of sorts, and has mustard for flavoring.



Ingredients
3 cups cooked pasta shells(or farfalle, or penne), al-dente*
1 cup broccoli florets, blanched
1 cup sliced button mushroom, sauteed
1 cup chopped pepperoncini
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
4 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted
4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
salt to taste
olive oil as needed
* 1-2 cups cooked pasta should be plenty depending on the variety of pasta used;
for the sauce:
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk, preferably warm or at room temperature
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Jack Daniels Horse-radish mustard (optional)
1/2 cup of pasta water reserved, or just warm water
a few sprigs of parsley

Preparation

1. heat a large shallow pan gradually, add the flour and dry toast till it turns pale brown, lower the heat a little if needed so as not to burn the flour; then add the garlic, mustard and the warm whole milk a little at a time, stirring constantly; allow to simmer and reduce a bit; add a little water, as needed, if the sauce gets too thick
2. add the broccoli, 'shrooms, sun dried tomatoes and pepperoncini to the pan with the sauce and toss gently; adjust salt to taste; add the pasta a little at a time so there is enough sauce to coat it all; stir in parsley and some olive oil to give it some clean flavor, wetness and shine
3. garnish with toasted pine nuts;serve warm with garlic bread or other starters