It is said that we eat with our eyes first. This is the reason that even when I am eating alone with my dog as my only witness I’ve been known to spend a fair chunk of time plating my food with care and pulling out the good place mats. I love to consider all my senses when I eat so I get very disapointed when my food ends up, well, ugly. Such was the case with my Vegetables and Wheat Berries in Caramel Sauce, an almost vegetarian version of The Chicken Claypot at The Slanted Door in San Francisco which features caramel sauce, ginger, and chiles. My version ended up looking only slightly better than what you would expect at your high school’s cafeteria, which is a shame since the flavors are amazing. What I love about this dish is that you get almost all the 5 tastes in one dish. The sauce is a lovely mix of, among other things, brown sugar, vinegar, chiles, fish sauce, soy sauce and ginger. The result is a perfect mix of sweet, salty, bitter and even umami. Pair all those flavors with the textural contrasts between the perfectly steamed veggies, slightly chewy wheat berries and some cashews for crunch and you have quite the symphony in your mouth. So instead of presenting you with a picture that simply cannot do this dish justice I would instead like you to imagine that it looks like the most beautiful dish of Vietnamese-inspired food you’ve ever eaten. This is a great dish for when you’re craving veggies and whole grains and want something different than your typical salad. It does have a fair amount of sugar in it but it’s still much healthier than your average takeout.
Vegetables and Wheat Berries in Caramel Sauce
Adapted from The Secrets of Success Cookbook
Serves 4
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup packed brown sugar
-1/4 cup water
-1/4 cup fish sauce
-3 tablespoons your choice of rice vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
-1 teaspoon minced garlic
-1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
-1 teaspoon minced ginger
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1/2 jalapeno, removed of seeds and ribs and finely minced
-Cooking spray
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-Approximately 5 cups steamed vegetables (I like to use a mixture of carrots, green beans, and broccoli, but it’s up to you)
-2 cups cooked wheat berries
-2 tablespoons cashews
Method:
In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar through jalapeno mixing well. Set mixture aside. Spray a skillet with the cooking spray and place over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook until mixture is reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Add in the steamed vegetables, wheat berries, and cashews and toss lightly to coat with the sauce. Serve while hot.
What about you? Is there any dish you make that tastes amazing but isn’t a looker?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I need to eat more veggies! This will help.
a caramel sauce with veggies? so interesting
i hate it when things don’t look as good as they taste!
Shannon – It’s so delicious and sad that it’s so ugly.
Sherri – This is definitely a good recipe to eat more veggies.
Wow! This sounds so delicious. I have always been reluctant about the mix of savory and sweet, but I have come around. Will definitely try this. Thanks for sharing.
Eralda – Thanks. I personally LOVE the savory/sweet combination.
Oh man, you’re such a tease with that description and no picture. I hate when food looks ugly and tastes amazing, especially since we’re food bloggers here (although it’s still better than the other way around of course). Very dissapointing. I’m going to save this recipe and hopefully will be able to take a picture that will be at least passable.
Elina – Hahaha! I hate that as well although I feel less bad about it when I watch the shows on food styling on the Food Network and remind myself how much work goes into making the dish look just so.
oh you and your pink cooking utensils… you’re seriously a vision of perfection!
you’d be sadly disappointed with the slop we serve up around guavaland… haha!