If you’re one of those people who hates broccoli, then you probably haven’t had it like this before. One thing that Chinese cuisine does particularly well is make vegetables that taste really really good including a broccoli stir-fry. We don’t want to toot our own horns here too much, of course, but it’s a fact o’ life. This is a great side dish to serve over rice with any other kind of stir-fry, a seared chicken breast, or some soy glazed salmon. Yum. We have also made garlicky broccoli stir-fry as a side dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners
It’s my dad’s take on the way they used to do it at his family’s take out restaurant way back in the dark ages.
Here’s how he made it:
You need:
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch of white pepper
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Wash the broccoli and set aside.
Make a slurry by mixing the corn starch into the water and use a spoon to stir until completely dissolved. Mince the garlic.
Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in your wok and add the broccoli.
Blanch for a minute and put the broccoli into cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain.
Heat the wok over high heat. Once the wok is very hot, add the oil, garlic, broccoli, and wine. Stir fry for a minute and pour in the chicken stock. We just used some water and Better Than Bouillon organic chicken base. That stuff is super useful. We highly recommend picking up a jar or a similar brand. Let the mixture come to a boil, which should be quick since the heat is so high.
Add salt, white pepper, and sesame oil and give it another quick stir. Now make sure your cornstarch slurry is still well-mixed as the water tends to separate after some time. Stir in half of the slurry and let the sauce cook and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. Add more slurry if it’s not thick enough.
Plate and serve your garlicky broccoli stir-fry hot out of the wok!
Tip:
Chinese restaurants blanch the broccoli first because blanching cooks the broccoli faster and make the last step of stir frying and finishing much faster. The sauce also ends up cleaner in flavor. But you can also skip the blanching and cover your wok after adding the chicken stock (add a little extra stock or water to steam it). Then just let the broccoli steam in the covered wok for an extra few minutes, depending upon how crisp you like your broccoli
If you want to make a main dish, then take a look at our Chicken and Broccoli recipe or the all-time favorite Beef and Broccoli!
Garlicky Broccoli Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Wash the broccoli and set aside. Make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch into the water and use a spoon to stir until completely dissolved. Mince the garlic.
- Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in your wok and add the broccoli. Blanch for a minute, drain, and put the broccoli into cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Heat the wok over high heat. Once the wok is very hot, add the oil, garlic, broccoli, and wine. Stir fry for a minute and pour in the chicken stock. Let the mixture come to a boil, which should be quick since the heat is so high.
- Add salt, white pepper, and sesame oil and give it another quick stir. Now make sure your cornstarch slurry is still well-mixed as the water tends to separate after some time. Stir in half of the slurry and let the sauce cook and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. Add more slurry if it’s not thick enough. Plate and serve hot!
Stephanie Tate says
I loved this – my son found the broccoli hard – but for me it was perfectly crunchy. – and it retains the vitamins as well. I guess he will get used to it. (have to say he isn’t feeling well today so he might be more respondent next time). I cooked it with a loin of pork to which I made up a sauce which was fab (kind of used the recipes you have into an idea) and with rice. As my son doesn’t eat meat the rice and broccoli were enough for him with the sauce.
Bill says
Hi Stephanie, try cooking the broccoli a little bit longer next time. Judy also enjoys the broccoli softer, and there is something to making the broccoli both ways (either soft or crunchy) for a change-up. Enjoy!
Old Jailhouse King says
We have a freakin’ winner.
One of the best on the site
Equipment – Not much needed
Ingredients – Few
Technique – Simple
Time – Not Much
End Result – Satisfying
Used a bag of frozen broccoli to make the recipe and it turned out great.
Have a pot of chicken soup already made. So I fished out a bit of chicken for the recipe.
Makes a nice simple white sauce.
Which lends itself to a flavorful substitution – try using ginger instead of garlic and throw a splash of fish sauce into the mix.
Yes, this is worth making again.
Many thanks.
Bill says
You’re welcome and thanks for the rave review!
Vera says
Another easy and delicious recipe from Woks of Life!
I made this last night exactly as is. Served it with your Easy Scallion Pancakes & Fried Chicken Wings – Takeout Style.
I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Bill says
Thanks Vera and keep on cooking!
Bob says
What would you add to this sauce to really spice it up? I like a lot of heat.
Bill says
Hi bob, I would add some of Kaitlin’s homemade chili oil with the flakes and all. For a quick fix, you can also add 1 half teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes at the same time you add the garlic. The red pepper flakes will toast and give the broccoli a lovely garlic and toasty red pepper flavor with some good heat!
Old Jailhouse King says
Couple of suggestions:
Try adding more white pepper. WP is what gives Hot and sour soup its heat which is not a chili heat.
Try getting a serrano chili and dicing it then adding it to the mix.
You can take maybe a quarter cup of white vinegar and adding several finely diced chilis to it and let it sit a little while. You can also do this with soy sauce and olive oil. This will give you another flavor profile to your wonderful Broccoli.
As already stated the wonderful and useful chili oil