All you need is about ten ingredients for this grilled vegan main course. Broccoli “steaks” are cooked on the barbecue until tender and just a little bit charred and smoky. Then we smother the broccoli in a spicy-sweet peanut and chili crisp lentil sauce. The dish is intensely saucy, garlicky, and finished with crunchy peanuts and green onions on top. I would serve this with rice or these grilled sweet potatoes (minus the tahini) for a well-rounded meal.
The combination of broccoli and peanut sauce does it for me every single time. One of the most popular recipes in my cookbook features a broccoli peanut combo. The pairing just works! High heat grilling enhances the broccoli’s natural sweetness and truly nothing beats a caramelized crispy bit of floret.
When cutting the steaks, aim for slices about 1-inch thick. Some florets will inevitably fall away–see the recipe notes for what to do with those. Imperfection is fine here since the peanut lentils cover everything generously anyway.
You could also roast the broccoli “steaks” in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, flipping at the halfway point. A naked baking sheet gives you the best browning.
This is a great one for the folks that love a particularly saucy meal. I find myself dabbing chili crisp into all sorts of sauces lately and I keep a jar in the cupboard right by the stove for easy access.
Free Recipe eBook!
25 of my most popular recipes (plus 2 that have never been published before), all in a beautiful eBook!
Enter your email and I’ll send it right over.
Grilled Broccoli Steaks with Spicy Peanut Chili Crisp Lentils
Ingredients
Spicy Peanut Lentils
- ½ cup green lentils
- 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chili crisp
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Tamari
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced with a Microplane
- salt and pepper, to taste
Grilled Broccoli Steaks & Assembly
- 2 bunches broccoli, see notes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced
- extra chili crisp
Equipment
- Grill
Notes
- Lao Gan Ma is the baseline chili crisp that I use in recipes. Lots of other brands out there that I love of course, but I generally always come back to this one. The flavor and spice level is reliable!
- A bunch of broccoli here usually has 2 stems. When I was shopping to photograph this, the broccoli stems/crowns on offer were quite small (go figure). If yours are bigger, you might be able to get away with just 1 bunch of broccoli!
- When cutting broccoli steaks, aim for slices about 1 inch thick. The crown will naturally give you 2-3 steaks depending on the size of the head.
- For the fallen florets: If you have a grill basket/mesh bag, you could just pop them in there and cook alongside! You can also place them in a sealed bag for another snack or meal that week.
Instructions
- Place the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until lentils are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, olive oil, chili crisp, water, lime juice, maple syrup, Tamari, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Add the drained lentils and toss to combine. Add more salt and pepper if you like. Set aside.
- Cut the broccoli into “steaks.” Start by cutting off any excessive stem so that you just have the crown essentially. Set the crown on the cutting board with the stem side facing up towards you. Then, cut the broccoli crown into 1/2-inch thick “steaks” as best you can. See the recipe notes on dealing with the smaller bits.
- Preheat the grill to medium.
- Set the broccoli steaks on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil on both sides. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Place the broccoli “steaks” on the grill and cook until browned on one side, about 5-6 minutes. Flip the broccoli over and cook for another 5-6 minutes. The finished broccoli should be browned on all sides and feel slightly tender when poked in the stem area.
- Remove broccoli from the grill. Spoon ⅔ of the spicy peanut lentils on a serving platter and arrange the broccoli on top. Spoon remaining peanut lentils on top. Garnish with chopped peanuts, green onions, and extra chili crisp. Enjoy!
Sorry Laura
What is chill crisp?
.
Ellen (U.K.)
No need to apologize at all! Chili crisp is a spicy condiment with roots in Chinese cuisine. It’s made by pouring hot oil over finely ground dried chilis, peppercorns, garlic, shallots, sesame seeds, sometimes nuts, and other aromatics/crunchy items. The end result is a spicy oil condiment with lots of crunchy-crispy bits throughout. It is rich in umami flavor as well. I like the Lao Gan Ma brand, but have also used Fly By Jing’s and Zing’s chili crisp options as well as Momofuku’s Chili Crunch (different name, same thing though).
-L