Food Talk: Broccoli for the discerning palate

Recently, we had a delightful vegetarian lunch at the Australian High Commissioner’s residence, where for the main course, we were served healthy, wholesome broccoli, with salted almonds and cheddar cheese sauce. The flavourful light refreshing repast set us thinking. Why haven’t our creative chefs improvised an Indian delicacy with broccoli?

Broccoli belongs to the cauliflower family and is a comparatively recent entrant on the subcontinent’s culinary stage. Folklore has it that cauliflower was brought to India by a Rana General from Nepal, who had gone to greet Queen Victoria after the First War of Independence and to assure her of the Gorkha loyalty. He tasted the delicious ‘flower’ and decided to carry its seeds home. As with most foodlore, this is not entirely correct. It is well documented that a British doctor first cultivated cauliflowers in the Botanical Garden in Calcutta from where the vegetable spread.

Cauliflower is very popular in paranthas, pakoras and pickles. But, we were talking of broccoli, not cauliflower. Broccoli has a much higher nutritional content than cauliflower and many other vegetables. It is rich in protein, minerals and vitamins.

We were in for a surprise when a friend treated us to broccoli ‘mock’ meatballs with lemon sauce. She insisted she was inspired by a Spanish classic, though neither olive oil nor wine was used. The mouth feel was closer to a desi kofta. But let’s not be ungrateful. We have tweaked her recipe.

Broccoli meatballs

Ingredients

For the ‘meatballs’

Broccoli head (fresh) 500 gm

Garlic cloves 3

Breadcrumbs 1/3 cup

Eggs 2

Onion (small, finely chopped) 1

Coriander fresh (chopped) 2 tbsp

Black pepper (ground coarsely) Half tsp

Salt To taste

Oil 2 tbsp

For the gravy

Onion (finely chopped) 1 small

Garlic cloves (roughly chopped) 2-3

All-purpose flour 1 tbsp

Malt vinegar 1/3 cup

Kasoori methi (optional) 1/2 tsp

Black pepper (ground coarsely) Half tsp

Vegetable stock 1-1/2 cup

Salt To taste

Finishing oil (olive) 1/3 cup

Coriander (fresh, chopped) 1 small sprig

Method

• Remove the stem and cut the broccoli into small florets. Wash well in running water in a colander. Remove and pat dry.
• Put the broccoli into a food processor, along with three cloves of garlic, and blend in short bursts.
• Heat oil in a large pan on medium flame, and after 2 minutes, put in the broccoli and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Remove from stove and keep aside.
• When it is cool, transfer the broccoli to a bowl and add breadcrumbs. Break one egg and pour it in the bowl.
• Add coriander, salt, pepper and mix well. Break one more egg into the bowl. Blend with a spoon till a thick paste-like dough is obtained. If you don't like or eat eggs, you can substitute these with some crumbled paneer, a small boiled mashed potato or roasted black gram powder.
• Divide the dough into equal parts and roll into small table tennis-sized balls, rolling between moist palms.
• Heat oil in the same pan on medium flame and gently lower the meatballs into it. Fry till these are golden brown evenly. Turn once, gently with the slotted spoon, and then remove and place on kitchen towels to remove excess oil.
• Make sauce-like gravy in the same pan. Heat the remaining oil on medium flame. Add chopped onion and garlic. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes. Add the all-purpose flour till its raw small is gone. Add vinegar.
• Pour vegetable stock. If non-vegetarian, you can even use chicken stock cubes. Bring to boil and simmer till it thickens to desire consistency.
• Place the ‘meatballs’ in a serving platter. Drape with the sauce and garnish with fresh coriander and crush a large pinch of kasoori methi, if using.
• Serve hot with phulka or rice.