Never boil broccoli and cauliflower as it's tastier if cooked with 1 item Mary Berry loves
Broccoli and cauliflower are often believed to taste bland, but they are quite nutty and sweet if you cook them properly using Mary Berry's simple method.
Dr Sara discusses the benefits of eating broccoli
Broccoli and cauliflower are often unfairly disliked because many believe they have a bland taste, but this is usually the result of most people cooking them wrong. It is common to simply boil these vegetables, but this makes them turn mushy and leaches out their natural sugars, which can lead to them being boring to eat.
However, Mary Berry has revealed that there is a much better method to cook broccoli and cauliflower, as they are much tastier if you stir-fry them with olive oil instead. In her ‘Mary Berry Everyday’ cookbook, the baker said: “Making a change from boiled vegetables, this is quick to do and very tasty. Cooked like this, the broccoli and cauliflower retain a nice crunch too.”
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Boiling broccoli and cauliflower will strip them of their natural flavour, as it leaches their taste into the water, leaving them bland or even bitter.
It also makes the vegetables soggy and less nutritious, as many of their vitamins are leached into the water during boiling.
However, stir-frying vegetables on a high heat helps caramelise their natural sugars, giving them a much nicer nutty or savoury flavour.
Changing the way you cook broccoli and cauliflower can make them crispier, more flavourful, and even healthier, as stir-frying helps preserve more nutrients.
What makes this recipe fantastic is its versatility. You can add garlic, shallots, or even your favourite seasonings to turn broccoli and cauliflower into something you enjoy rather than something you force yourself to eat.
How to make broccoli and cauliflower more flavourful
Ingredients
- One small head of broccoli (around 250g)
- One small head of cauliflower (around 350g)
- Two banana shallots (finely sliced)
- Two garlic cloves (crushed)
- Two tablespoons of runny honey
- Salt and pepper
- Chilli flakes (optional)
Method
To begin, cut the cauliflower and broccoli into as small florets as possible, and remove any leaves or stems. Chop the shallots and crush the garlic cloves before you start cooking.
Next, heat the two tablespoons of oil in a large pan and wait until it gets very hot. Then, add the shallots and cook for two to three minutes on a high heat.
Add the broccoli, cauliflower and garlic, then stir-fry for two to three minutes until they start to go golden. It works best to use two wooden spoons or a spatula in each hand to toss the vegetables so everything cooks evenly.
Cover the pan with a lid, lower the heat and cook for three more minutes. Then, remove the lid and fry the vegetables for a few minutes until they become crunchy.
Drizzle the vegetables in honey, season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes, and your incredibly tasty broccoli and cauliflower is ready to eat.
