“Even the richest meal is just an excuse for the most important thing: Sharing simple moments together.”
– Alejandro Morales (head chef at La Huella restaurant)
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Every once in a while, I’m reminded of why I love to cook.
Apart from the therapeutic effect that being in the kitchen has on me, what also motivates me to keep on cooking is this – the fact that cooking a meal for others means I have a perfectly great excuse to sit down with them and enjoy their company over homecooked food.
I watched the movie Eat Drink Man Woman the other day – a 1994 Taiwan-based movie which demonstrates a widowed father’s love for his three daughters, with whom he barely has any communication with except during their set-in-stone Sunday dinner. The movie showed how the Chu, the father, would labor through entire Sunday afternoons to create elaborate dishes so that when his daughters gathered around the dinner table later at night, there would be food, a way of showing his love.
I’d grown up in the Asian culture, and can understand how the generation gap between parents and children sometimes results in a lack of communication.
I could appreciate Chu pouring his effort and energy into creating a meal – especially one that he deemed incredibly important, a tradition that was inked in stone.
The movie made me think about my need to spend time with loved ones crowded together over a meal – whether it be homecooked food or Chinese takeout or at a fancy restaurant.
I was reminded of this deep desire and longing that everyone has to feel a sense of love and communication, and when words sometimes fail us, a bowl of steaming hot soup that has been stewed for hours on the stove says all that is necessary.
Since this notion of eating together has been on my mind, it came as no surprise when I read the quote above by Alejandro Morales, the head chef of the La Huella restaurant in Brava Beach, Uruguay.
Whether we may be at a fine-dining restaurant feasting on fresh lobsters and oysters in tobasco sauce alongside glasses of bubbly champagne, or whether we are crowded at grandma’s eating simple chicken porridge, it really doesn’t matter.
What does matter though, and what really is important, is this – the fact that we are sharing simple moments together.
With that in mind, I want to leave you a super simple recipe today.
This dish is one that takes less than half an hour to whip up from scratch; a delicious yet uncomplicated recipe for those days that you want to have dinner with your loved ones without much fuss. It’s a dish that was inspired by my trip to Brazil earlier this year, where broccoli rice is a common side dish.
This is broccoli garlic rice, that is really just a mix of stir-fried garlic, broccoli couscous and rice.
Top this fragrant rice with a sunny side up egg and you’re all set – a homecooked meal in less than 30 minutes!
Go enjoy your meal with your loved ones today!
PrintEasy Broccoli Garlic Rice
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This simple meal can be whipped up in just 30 minutes – a fragrant dish of white rice stir-fried with garlic and broccoli. Best with a sunny side up egg.
Ingredients
- 1 large head of broccoli, florets only
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups of cooked long grain white rice (or 2 cups of uncooked long grain white rice)
- Olive oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon of ground chilli flakes, optional
- 4 eggs, optional
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package instructions.
- While rice is cooking, cut the broccoli florets from the head (you cankeep the stalks for another use)
- Wash the broccoli florets and then roughly cut them into smaller pieces
- Process the broccoli florets in small portions in a processor until they attain a couscous-like texture
- Mince the garlic and then sauté the garlic in a large por/wok in a little olive oil over low heat for 30 seconds
- When garlic starts turning golden brown, add in the broccoli couscous and mix, letting it cook for five minutes.
- Add in the cooked rice and mix well till you get a homogeneous mixture
- Add salt to taste
- If using eggs, cooked four sunny-side up eggs
- Divide the rice into 4 equal portions and serve each portion with a sunny side up egg
Notes
This recipe is inspired by my trip to Brazil, whose cuisine includes rice as a staple side dish. Broccoli rice is usually served as a side dish along side grilled fish or chicken, and is incredibly delicious!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Gluten-free
Briony says
I really love this idea!!! brocolli garlic rice! mmmm. nice and simple
felicia | Dish by Dish says
I know! so easy right?? and so good! can’t go wrong with rice, garlic and broccoli!
Sony says
Super easy to make, filling, and yummy! Thank you 🙂
felicia | Dish by Dish says
You’re most welcome Sony! Thanks for dropping by!
Fernanda Monteiro says
Hi Felicia,
I’m Brazilian and this is one of my favorites ways to have rice. My mom taught me in a way that looks a lot like yours, but she cooks the broccoli before and uses the same water to cook the rice. It gets even greener and the broccoli taste really sticks to the grain. Everything else she does the sam,e but the time of sauté with garlic that it is shorter.
BTW: I always find inspiration for my own cooking at your blog. Thank you.
Fernanda Monteiro
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hey Fernanda!! So nice to hear from you! And since your Brazilian, its good to know that the recipe here is quite similar to the authentic one that your mum taught you 🙂 I love broccoli rice – so quick, easy and best of all, incredibly delicious! Will have to try your mum’s method one day – i like the fact that cooking the rice in the broccoli water makes it even greener! 🙂
Thanks for dropping by – please stop by and say hello as often as you like! 🙂
Felicia
Larissa says
Finally I’ve found a blog with many recipes (including gluten free) I can replicate here in Buenos Aires!
Just loved your blog! Hope you’re having a good time here in BsAs. 🙂
PS: I also came to BsAs because my boyfriend was living here.
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hello Larissa! So cool to meet another girl who came here because of her bf! And thanks for your lovely comment! Are you still staying in BA? Where are you originally from?
Larissa says
Hi Felicia! I’m São Paulo, Brazil, and I’m still here in BsAs. I came to your blog because it’s very hard for me to find gluten-free recipes which I can make here in Argentina since I only know recipes from Brazil, and it’s very hard to find the products we have in Brazil here. I’m still a little bit lost. :/
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us 🙂
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Olá Larissa!
Yes, it’s pretty hard to find alot of the ingredients for most gluten-free/grain-free recipes that I see online (products that are so available in the US or elsewhere can be pretty tough to find here!). So i try to make adjustments and when the recipes work, I share them! So glad the recipes are useful to you 🙂 Drop me a comment/email if you need help knowing where to buy certain ingredients – I’ll be happy to help!
Beijo!
felicia
Grace Lim says
Hey Felicia,
Do you know that when I first saw this – my thought immediately went to Ron: “Yes, Ron would love this dish as he loves garlic fried rice, brocoli and egg”. The dish may be simple but you have all the ingredients that he loves.
Needless to say, this dish will soon finds its way to our dining table 🙂
With lots of love from home 🙂
Mum
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Yes!! I think all the rice recipes I like are simple and can be made in less than 30 minutes! I hope you, daddy, Val and Ron all love this dish!! Can you imagine that it includes one entire head of broccoli?? Super healthy and I love the green color it gives the rice! 🙂
GiGi Eats says
OH YES! I BET POPPING THAT YOLK over the rice it utter mouth-bliss!!! 🙂
felicia | Dish by Dish says
Hello Gigi!! Completely right! Utter bliss it is! 🙂 thanks for stopping by!