Broccoli with couscous, beef and almonds
If you get to know me, you will learn very, very quickly that I love to cook with soy sauce. And in my opinion, almost every single vegetable can be covered in soy sauce, fried hot and will turn out delicious (Case in point: this Chinese Cabbage). And I did almost the same thing to a head of broccoli. And just because there are certain persons in our apartment, that do not tolerate tasteless, cooked in water, mushy broccoli (ok, who would actually like that?). But these people were also of the opinion, that they would under no circumstances ever like broccoli. And well, then I just had to go and convince them of the opposite.
And so I ended up with a recipe for a fried broccoli served on a bed of couscous, ground meat, onions, toasted almond slivers and green onion. The broccoli is only fried just long enough that it turns a vibrant green, but it should stay firm to the bite (think: “al dente”). It is better to take it out too early (you could theoretically even eat broccoli raw) than to have it turn into mush. The side of couscous and meat is by the way prepared in 10 minutes and is also a good side to almost any other vegetable. You could for example grill these in the summer, adding bell pepper, aubgerine or zucchini. And if you want to leave out the meat for a vegan variation one might be delighted to find some more vegetables on the plate (recipe for a vegan option on the bottom of this site).
Recipe – Broccoli with couscous, beef and almonds
Amount: 2 portions
Prep time: 25 minutes
3 tbsp sliced almonds
1 head of broccoli
2 onions
1 green onion
100 g couscous
4 tbsp soy sauce, separated
2 tbsp vegetable oil, separated
1/2 tsp salt
200 g ground meat
1 tsp ground cilantro, 1 tsp ground ginger
Brown 3 tbsp almonds slivers in a wok set to a medium temperature (careful, they tend to burn quickly towards the end).
Meanwhile separated one head of broccoli into about thumb size pieces and wash them. Peel 2 onions, quarter them and cut into slices. Also cut one green onion into fine rings.
Measure 100 g couscous into a pot with a matching lid. Add 1 tbsp of soy sauce Now bring enough water according to the cooking instructions for your couscous to a boil in a kettle. Add to the couscous in the pot and close the lid.
Take the almonds out of the wok and add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Increase the temperature to high and add the onion pieces (reserve the green onion). Add 1/2 tsp salt and brown onions while stirring.
Once the onions are overall transparent and in some places a light brown, move them to the side of the wok. Add 200 g ground beef and pour 2 tbsp soy sauce over it. Fry on high while stirring constantly. As soon as the meat is no longer pink, season with 1 tsp cilantro and 1 tsp ginger.
Now move everything in the wok on top of the couscous in the pot. Add 2/3 of the green onion and 2/3 of the toasted almonds (reserving the rest for garnish) and stir everything together in the pot. Then cover it up with a lid again.
Now set the temperature of the wok to maximum and heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil. Once the wok is very hot add the broccoli and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Fry the broccoli under constant stirring for 1 minute. It should turn a vibrant green, but not turn to mush.
Place the couscous-meat-mixture on 2 plates and arrange the broccoli on top. Garnish with the remaining almonds and green onion.
The broccoli can not be reheated without turning too soft. But you can store the couscous-meat-mixture until the next day in the fridge very well.
1 head of broccoli is also enough for 4 portions, if you double all other ingredients.
For a vegan variation: Of course, leaf out the ground beef. And add other vegetables, which you fry with the broccoli, for example aubergine (which needs a bit longer, so fry first adding the rest a bit later), bell pepper or zucchini.