A hearty and healthy lunch combining toothsome wheat berries, clean greens and crispy fried onions. Wheat berries are the entire wheat kernel except for the hull. They take a while to cook but have a good nutty texture, lending real substance to a dish.
If you cannot source wheat berries try pearled spelt, barley, couscous or bulghur wheat.
Ingredients
- 100g purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed if necessary
- 100g wheat berries (or one of the alternatives below)
- 4 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil (or use the oil you used to fry the onions)
- 1 fresh red chili, very finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, very finely sliced
- handful of Crispy Fried Onions (optional)
- salt and black pepper
Method
- Boil the purple sprouting broccoli for 3–4 minutes, until just tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into very cold water before draining. Add the wheatberries to the same water and cook for 25 minutes, or until cooked but still chewy. Drain in a colander.
- Wipe out the pan and heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the chili and garlic and fry, stirring, until the garlic has turned golden.
- Add the broccoli and fry for a couple more minutes, then add the drained wheatberries and a handful of crispy fried onions, if using. Mix everything together, check the seasoning and add a dash more onion oil if it seems dry. Serve warm.
This is a vegan recipe, totally delicious and a good way to make a difference.
