I really liked this broccoli! It had an excellent deliciousness-to-effort ratio. You just mix up all the dressing ingredients in a bowl, then boil the broccoli for a couple minutes, drain it, toss it with the dressing, sprinkle with some sesame seeds, and you're done!

The broccoli is cooked, but still has a bit of bite to it. The miso and soy sauce give you a bit hit of salt and umami that nicely balances the very slight hint of bitterness from the broccoli. The lemon juice lends a note of sourness without being overwhelming. And the toasted sesame oil and seeds give a mild nuttiness to round things out.

It's honestly great just like that. But if you want to add another layer to the flavours, you can go for something a bit spicy as well. I think Laoganma goes particularly well here. (Then again, I think Laoganma goes well just about everywhere, so maybe take my opinions on this with a grain of salt.)

Broccoli with Sesame-Soy Dressing

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. miso paste¹
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. sugar²
• 500-600g broccoli florets
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, miso paste, lemon juice, and sugar (if using) and mix well.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
3. Add the broccoli and boil until tender-crisp (2-3 minutes).
4. Drain broccoli thoroughly and toss it with the dressing.
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

---

¹ The recipe didn't specify what type of miso to use, so I just used white because that's what I had on hand. Feel free to experiment with different types of miso paste if you have them available though! ^Back
2 So... I completely forgot to add the sugar to my dressing. That said, I liked it just fine without the sugar. I might try adding it next time just to compare. But, personally, I would consider the sugar optional here. Follow your heart! ^Back