Oil-Free Millet Stir Fry with Broccoli
This oil-free millet stir fry is a tasty alternative to traditional rice stir-fries. It’s a satisfying gluten-free meal or a lovely side dish.
How to Steam Sauté
Stir fries are usually made with oil. However, most of the doctors and research scientists I follow recommend avoiding processed oil. So I steam sauté veggies. The process creates a slightly different texture and flavor, but I prefer the lighter taste. Once you get used to cooking with less oil, you’ll notice it often obscures delicate flavors. It also feels greasy on your lips!
So, how do you steam sauté? You add about 1/4 cup of water to a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Then, add the veggies and stir every so often. I usually cover the pan partially with a lid to trap some of the steam and speed up cooking—unless there’s too much liquid and I want to cook some of it off. If the pan gets too dry, I’ll add more water—about one tablespoon at a time.
You can also use broth instead of water for a little extra flavor.
Oil-Free Millet Stir Fry Recipe Variations
I adapted this oil-free millet stir fry recipe from one I found on a package of Bob’s Red Mill Millet. (I tend to overuse brown rice and quinoa and was looking to mix things up.) Here’s how I changed it to suit my cooking style:
- Used frozen veggies to save time (they are washed, prepped, and ready to go!)
- Altered the types of veggies a bit based on what I had
- Swapped oil for water (see “how to steam sauté” above)
The end result is a pleasing, satisfying meal. My husband doesn’t care for soy or ginger, and he even liked it! The lesson here is you can adapt just about any recipe to meet your needs once you get a feel for plant-based, gluten-free cooking.
Oil-Free Millet Stir Fry with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2 cups water + ¼ cup
- ¼ tsp. Himalayan cooking salt
- ½ cup millet
- 16 oz. frozen sliced peppers and onions
- 4 cups frozen broccoli florets
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup cashews chopped
- 1 Tbsp. low sodium Tamari sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 Tbsp. brown rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. arrow root starch flour or corn starch
- ¼ tsp. ground ginger
Instructions
- Add 2 cups of water and ¼ tsp salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.*
- Add millet and return to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 35-40 minutes with lid slightly vented.
- Add ¼ cup water to 5.5 qt non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat.
- Add peppers and onions, broccoli florets and minced garlic, cover and steam sauté for 10 to 15 minutes until veggies are crisp tender. (Stir every few minutes, reduce heat to medium and/or add 1 tbsp of water or more if necessary to keep veggies from sticking.)
- Combine Tamari sauce, brown rice vinegar, maple syrup, arrow root starch flour and ground ginger to a small container with a tight fitting lid. Shake to mix.
- Add cooked millet and cashews to cooked veggies.
- Stir in sauce and continue to cook until sauce thickens. (About 1-2 minutes.)
Notes
Nutrition
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