Takeout-style broccoli with garlic sauce is a great dish to have with any meal. Served with some white or brown rice, it’s tasty and guilt-free, and it’s easier than you’d think to emulate that restaurant flavor! Chinese takeout definitely has its place as a treat, and no one knows more than me that there’s nothing wrong with indulging in an egg roll, a plate of pork fried rice, or fried chicken wings every once in awhile. That said, broccoli with garlic sauce is my go-to Chinese takeout dish when I feel like I haven’t been getting enough veggies.
I want to share a little history about this dish and, for that matter, any garlic sauce or Yu Xiang (“fish fragrance” style dish of meat and/or vegetables with sauce) dish from a take-out restaurant. It’s pretty obvious, but all of these dishes are clearly Americanized versions in every sense. First, broccoli is a western vegetable, and second, the garlic sauce has been altered slightly to suit American tastes, and perhaps formulated to be easier to make by Chinese takeout cooks. If you want an authentic version of garlic sauce, check out Judy’s authentically-flavored chicken with garlic sauce recipe.
All that said, this broccoli with garlic sauce is GOOD! It’s slightly tart from the rice vinegar, balanced with the addition of a little sugar and the (optional) kick from some homemade chili oil. It’s a great alternative and change of pace from our popular garlicky broccoli, which serves as more of a traditional side dish.
If you eat broccoli often, the last thing I’ll leave you with are some great tips I learned from Judy on how to select a good broccoli crown:
- Check the bottom of your broccoli stems. They should be full and white. Avoid broccoli with hollow stalks or brown streaks, which means the broccoli is not fresh.
- If your broccoli tastes bitter after it’s cooked, it was probably not fresh. I know it’s after the fact and not a ton of help, but better to know for next time!
- Look for dark green buds. Avoid any broccoli that has been heavily trimmed or has yellowing buds, which is an indication that the spoiled parts may have been trimmed off to fool unsuspecting customers into thinking it’s fresh!
Here are some pictures of the bottoms of broccoli crowns and the cross section of the stem. You can see that the bottom of the broccoli crown on the left has some yellowing at the core. Be sure to avoid any broccoli crowns with discolored stems and look for a bright white solid stem like you see on the right!
If you want an alternative to the usual western vegetables, learn more about Chinese vegetables and what to do with them on our Chinese Leafy Green Vegetables glossary page.
Now that you have your super fresh broccoli, let’s cook!
You’ll need:
- 1 pound broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 cup hot chicken stock or vegetable stock (to keep the dish vegetarian)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- A pinch of fresh ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cloves of minced garlic (about a tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- Cornstarch slurry (1½ tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1½ tablespoons water)
- 1 teaspoon homemade chili oil (optional)
Wash the broccoli thoroughly and set aside. Mix the soy sauces, rice wine vinegar, sugar, stock, sesame oil, and ground white pepper, and set aside.
Heat the wok over high heat. Add the vegetable oil, garlic, and broccoli and quickly stir-fry so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Stir fry for 15 seconds, and add the Shaoxing rice wine around the perimeter of the wok. Give everything a quick stir and add in the sauce mixture. Let the sauce come to a boil, and mix the cornstarch and water together to make a slurry.
Add the cornstarch slurry slowly while stirring the broccoli and sauce constantly. Let the sauce cook and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon.
If you like a thick sauce, add more cornstarch and water. If you like your sauce thinner, add less cornstarch and water. If you’d like, stir in the chili oil at this point.
Serve your fresh homemade broccoli with garlic sauce!
You’ll never go back to a Chinese takeout restaurant for broccoli with garlic sauce after you try this dish at home!
Takeout Style Broccoli with Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli (cut into florets)
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 cup hot chicken or vegetable stock (to keep the dish vegetarian)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cloves minced garlic (about a tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed with 1½ tablespoons water)
- 1 teaspoon homemade chili oil (optional)
Instructions
- Wash the broccoli thoroughly and set aside. Mix the soy sauces, rice wine vinegar, sugar, stock, sesame oil, and ground white pepper, and set aside.
- Heat the wok over high heat. Add the vegetable oil, garlic, and broccoli and quickly stir-fry so the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Stir fry for 15 seconds, and add the Shaoxing rice wine around the perimeter of the wok. Give everything a quick stir and add in the sauce mixture. Let the sauce come to a boil, and mix the cornstarch and water together to make a slurry.
- Add the cornstarch slurry slowly while stirring the broccoli and sauce constantly. Let the sauce cook and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. If you like a thick sauce, add more cornstarch and water. If you like your sauce thinner, add less cornstarch and water. If you’d like, stir in the chili oil at this point. Serve!
Nutrition
Natasha says
Broccoli with garlic sauce is one of my favorite meals. I look forward in making this dish myself. Thanks for the recipe.
Bill says
You’re welcome Natasha and hope you enjoy it!
Kath says
Fantastic! Love this dish, I’m slightly addicted to it. I browned cubes of tofu in the pan first, then take them out and put them on a wire rack while I stirfry vegetables, and I put the tofu back in at the end after the chili sauce. I also add a little szechuan bean paste and a little black bean sauce to the stirfry sauce.
Judy says
Fantastic indeed! Thank you for sharing your comment.
MattyPro says
Just made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. I couldn’t find the Shaoxing wine in any of the chinese supermarkets in my neighborhood, so I used Sherry wine instead. Overall, it came out delish! Thank you so much for this recipe! I will be making it again!
Bill says
Hi Mattypro,
Thanks for sharing your experience and glad you liked it!
Jill says
I really have no reason to ever order takeout again. Your recipes are better. Haven’t had anything but excellent results from your site. I don’t usually alter them, but this time, I stir fried some chicken, removed it from the wok, and added it back in just before the broccoli was done to make a meal of this. I also added a tsp of oyster sauce to the sauce. Thank you for another tasty recipe, and super easy to follow.
Bill says
Sounds awesome Jill and glad you enjoyed it!
Scott says
This tastes fantastic! I used broccoli that was a week old in my fridge – not the best, but it still tasted great. I bet it would be even better with fresh broccoli.
Judy says
You bet, Scott! I am sure you will cook this dish more than once.
Jack says
Havent made it yet but looks great — especially helpful are the side by side photos of the fresh and not so fresh broccoli
Bill says
Hi Jack, Fresh broccoli is important and hope you make it soon!
Little Cooking Tips says
Super yummy, easy, healthy and delicious! What more can anyone ask in a recipe? We both love broccoli ourselves, so we’ll be trying this out very very (did we mention very) soon!
Thanx so much for sharing this BIll, pinned!
Sending you guys lots of hugs,
Mirella and Panos
Bill says
Thanks Mirella and Panos!
Danielle says
Yummy! What a great idea for broccoli. I eat steamed broccoli so often and just get tired of it. This seems like a wonderful healthy option. Thanks for the idea!
Bill says
You’re welcome Danielle!