Broccoli, chilli, cashews
You can make this dish with either calabrese or purple sprouting broccoli; it works well with other greens too. Choose a medium-hot chilli and use generously, or a fierce one and be more cautious. This is a great side dish for simply cooked chicken or fish, or even for a spread of curries. It’s also good served on its own as a light starter.
Servs 4
Method
Cut the broccoli into florets and steam or boil for a few minutes until just al dente. Transfer to a colander.
Heat a wok or deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cashews and toast in the hot pan for a couple of minutes, tossing them often; keep a close eye on them as they can burn easily. When they are golden, tip them into a bowl.
Put the oil, chilli and garlic into the pan and heat gently for 30 seconds–1 minute, just to take the edge off the garlic. Add the toasted cashews and broccoli to the pan, turn up the heat, and stir-fry for a minute or two, so the broccoli is well mingled with the nuts, oil, chilli and garlic. Season with a splash of soy sauce and serve straight away.
Serving suggestions
Plus one
Toss this stir-fry with rice noodles and you have yourself a hearty, zesty meal.
Swaps
Use any greens, kale or cabbage instead of the broccoli, but cook them very lightly so the veg still has plenty of crunch. You can swap pumpkins seeds, peanuts or hazelnuts for cashews too.
Ingredients
- 400g broccoli, trimmed
- 75g cashew nuts
- 2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
- ¼–1 large red chilli (depending on heat), deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- A dash of soy sauce
This recipe is taken from...
If you like this recipe, you might like the following course...
Veg Cookery
Who needs meat? During the River Cottage Veg cookery course you'll learn to turn local, seasonal produce into delicious veggie dishes.
Full details