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!
Megan says
Can I use frozen broccoli for this recipe?
Thanks!
Bill says
Hi Megan, yes, frozen broccoli works! Just be careful not to overcook the broccoli!
Maggie Chau says
Hi! I’m looking for a recipe for a shrimp dish that incorporates Ketchup has one of its’ ingredients. I know that sounds blasphemous to add Ketchup to shrimp. But I remember my mom cooking a dish using Ketchup and it was delicious! You know such a recipe.
Shanghainese New Yorker,
Maggie
Bill says
Hi Maggie, Try this Sichuan Shrimp dish here which uses ketchup. But my mom used to make a ketchup shrimp which was delicious, and I will put it on the “to-cook” list. Thanks for your request, as it was a fond reminder my of my mom’s recipe!
Ekta says
Hello,
I don’t like store brand vegetable broths. How do you make a veg stock for Chinese cooking?
Judy says
Hi Ekta, this requires a recipe, I know many more people would like to know too. Thank you for the reminder.
Annie says
Just found your site and Love It! I was looking for a vegetable to go with your Orange Chicken recipe for Christmas and think I found it! Looking at this recipe made me think of a place I used to be able to get the best garlic green beans. Do you think I could sub green beans for the broccoli? If so, how long should I cook the beans for to get them tender crisp? Every time I’ve tried to cook green beans, they end up being too hard.
Thanks for all you do!
Annie
Bill says
Hi Annie, You can definitely substitute the green beans. Cooking times depend not only on how crispy you like them, but also the type of green bean you use. Some of the darker and thinner varieties are not as tender as the more common light green and thicker string beans you mostly find in supermarkets. I find the “common” string beans are more tender and easier to cook, but they also lose their color more easily during cooking. A tip for cooking a more tender green bean is to blanch them in boiling water with one teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and then transfer them to an ice bath to cool them quickly. The baking soda and ice bath preserves the green color, and you will find that the stir-fry time is a fraction of the time you would need if starting with raw green beans. Good luck and happy cooking!
Chinese Mamba says
You are using chicken stock and calling it a Veg Recipe —
Sarah says
Hey Chinese Mamba, this recipe can be made vegetarian if you replace the chicken stock with veggie stock.
Craig says
Thank You for the responce for C M.
I swear, all some want to do is get their name out there, and or go for the negatives!
Dish looks Great. Making tonite!
Just like Me……… why are some responses needed!
TY
Lyn says
How far in advance may I blanch broccoli? (2 hrs?)
Bill says
Hi Lyn, you can definitely blanch in advance. Happy cooking!
Hilary says
love your recipes and writing! is it possible to substitute the chicken broth with anything to make this vegetarian?
Judy says
Hi Hilary, you can just use water, which we do most of the time anyway, simple as that! You can also use vegetable broth. Cheers!
JakCS says
For this one I did not use broccoli, I used choy sum instead!
Again, it tastes like it’s from the resturants!!!
I’m am super amazed at how simple and delicous this is!
Sarah says
Great idea to use choy sum. This is definitely a go-to method to cook vegetables in our house.
Taylor says
This is a great recipe! My 3-year old and 1-year-old loved it, and they don’t normally eat broccoli!
Sarah says
Oooh! Thanks Taylor. We’re always happy to hear that we helped kids eat their broccoli. : )