Carrot and Chard Stir Fry

1 hour
Serves 4

• 1 cup dried wheat berries

• 1 tsp salt for boiling, 1/8 tsp salt for vegetables

• 3 Tbsp neutral oil

• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

• 1 Tbsp green coriander, stems removed

• 2 cups onion greens, cut on a diagonal

• 2 cups Swiss chard greens, cut into ribbons

• 2 cups Swiss chard stems, cut on a diagonal

• 2 cups carrots, cut into batons

• 3 Tbsp shoyu or soy sauce

• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

• 1 small bunch Thai basil leaves, about 1 cup
  

1. Fill a large pot with water and add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, add dried wheat berries, and reduce to a simmer. Cook covered for 50-60 minutes until the wheat berries are pleasantly chewy, but still firm. Drain and set aside.

2. While the wheat berries simmer, cook the other vegetables. Add the oil to a large flat pan and heat over medium-low heat. Once it starts to shimmer, add the garlic, green coriander, and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook until very fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn.

3. Add the onion greens and Swiss chard greens and cook for a few more minutes until the greens have released most of their liquid. Push them to the perimeter of the pan and add the Swiss chard stems and carrots. Turn up the heat slightly and try to keep the vegetables in a single layer as much as possible. This helps avoid getting them too soft and allows them to char and develop more flavor.

4. Add the wheat berries, shoyu, white wine vinegar, and Thai basil leaves, mixing until everything is evenly coated with the sauce and the Thai basil leaves have mostly wilted.

Note
This is a non-spicy stir fry, since our hot peppers haven’t come in yet this summer. Feel free to add any dried red pepper flakes depending on your preference for heat.