Stir-frying vegetables are very quick, simple and delicious. Chinese broccoli stems are crunchy raw or cooked and have many applications in asian cooking. Chinese broccoli is predominately added to stir-fry dishes for both home cooked meals and street food. The vegetable has thick stems with glossy grey-green leaves, unlike the regular broccoli they grow small white flowers. The flower stems grow from the centre of the plant with the attached younger leaves, they are usually between 1-2 cm in dimension and about 15-20cm long. The flower stems are harvested and sold in bunches like the rest of the plant and are used in the same cooking as the plant.
The method and ingredients used to stir-frying vegetables are often the same across many different vegetables. Though the ingredients can be the same, depending on the vegetables used in the dish the flavour is completely different. The reason I love this dish is because it’s very simple to make, its nutritious and can be eaten as a side or a main dish with a few other dishes.
Note: This dish can be either a vegetarian dish or a non-vegetarian dish. The usual ingredients added to the dish are oyster sauce and chicken stock, this is the non-vegetarian version of the dish. To make the vegetarian version of the dish, the oyster sauce and chicken stock are remove and replace with soy sauce and vegetable stock.
There are two ways to make this stir-fry. The first one is to stir-fry the raw vegetables in oil and seasoning, this method will take a bit longer for the vegetables to cook and may take time for the liquid to excess from the vegetables. The other method of making this dish is the method I use to make the dish, so instead of adding the raw vegetables into the wok I will be boiling the vegetables for 2 minutes in boiling water. This will soften the leaves and allow it to cook faster in the wok with more moisture. Use either method.
CHINESE BROCCOLI STIR-FRY
Prep-Time: 15 mins Serve: 2-4
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Ingredients
2 bunch Chinese broccoli, outer skin remove at the bulb
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp sugar
1/s tsp salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 cube stock powder
5 tbsp oil
Boiling water
Method
Add the Chinese broccoli into the boiled water and leaves to poach for 2 minutes or until the leaves soften. Drain and rinse thoroughly then set aside.
Heat the oil in a wok over medium high heat, add in the garlic once the oil is hot. Stir to cook the garlic until they give out fragrant and then change colour.
Add in the drained Chinese broccoli followed by all of the seasonings. Stir to combine and allow the seasoning to dissolve. Once the broccoli is nice and coated with the sauce, remove the wok from the heat. Transfer on to a serving plate and serve with rice or any other dish of your choice.