Easy stir fry broccoli with garlic, a really simple side dish to accompany a Chinese banquet. Packed full of flavour, it’s a dish that’s quick to prepare, ready and on the table in no time.
This recipe for our easy stir fry broccoli Chinese style is an ideal side dish, and delicious served alongside other Chinese style dishes to serve as part of a banquet. Or indeed, mid week with a stir fry for a quick family dinner.
This delicious side dish combines stir fry broccoli with garlic, flavoured with sesame oil and soy sauce. A quick garnish of spring onions and sesame seeds, and the dish is ready to enjoy.
My youngest won’t look at broccoli normally, however, stir fried broccoli with garlic and soy sauce, cooked like this and she clears her plate without question or argument.
Broccoli does NOT requiring boiling before sautéing or stir-frying IF you implement the steaming method. Trapping hot air in the pan is what helps soften the broccoli so it doesn’t just appear cooked on the outside.
Planning a Chinese banquet:
If planning a Chinese banquet then this simple stir fried broccoli is the perfect vegetable dish. But what else to serve alongside?
Whilst living overseas, two hours drive from Beijing, I enjoyed a lot of Chinese food, and ate very little European food whilst there as it simply wasn’t so good.
The food was always served banquet style, with many smaller plates of food set in the middle of the table so that everyone could share it amongst themselves.
It’s a lovely way to eat, and the variety of dishes was always balanced, a great selection of meat, fish, sea food and vegetable based dishes.
It’s a lot simpler to cater than you might think. This recipe could work really well alongside some of our other Chinese stir fry dishes. What’s worth noting is that they are all relatively quick cooks!
Why not try our:
Chinese banquet style eating:
Before having my children, I spent some time working in China. While living there, I came to love the simplicity of the food that we ate. Stir frying is a delicious way to eat food, but particularly vegetables.
None of the vegetables we ate there were swimming in oil, they were treated with care. Just a hint of sesame oil and a splash of soy, the flavour of the vegetable really shining through.
My colleagues and I ate the local food most nights, preferring the perfectly cooked local cuisine, than the options for Western food done badly. We liked to eat banquet style as is common in Chinese cooking. It was a lovely sociable way to dine.
This broccoli stir fry was a dish often ordered, one we all enjoyed, even those who thought they didn’t like broccoli.
Funnily enough by ordering a selection of these delicious sides of vegetables, we found ourselves eating far less rice.
How to cook broccoli without losing its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties!
FAQ
Can you cook broccoli without boiling?
Is it better to saute or boil broccoli?
Can you fry brocolli?
Do you have to blanch broccoli before cooking?
Does Broccoli need to be boiled before frying?
Broccoli does NOT requiring boiling before sautéing or stir-frying IF you implement the steaming method. Trapping hot air in the pan is what helps soften the broccoli so it doesn’t just appear cooked on the outside. That’s not to say broccoli won’t cook if not covered, but it may run the risk of burning before becoming sufficiently tender.
Can one cook broccoli in an air fryer?
Yes, you can cook broccoli in the air fryer like any other vegetable. You can add a little salt, garlic powder and pepper to enhance the flavor.
How do you cook Broccoli after boiling?
After boiling, drain the broccoli and serve. Steaming broccoli is, I think, a better way to cook broccoli than just straight boiling. That’s because the broccoli itself doesn’t sit right in the water – it’s in a basket or steamer of some sort that’s sitting on top of the boiling water.
Should you drain boiled broccoli before cooking?
Draining boiled broccoli right away helps to stop the cooking process. If you’re making the broccoli for a meal prep – like this one: Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Meal Prep or a salad like this Lemony Brown Rice, Broccoli and Feta Salad – you can plunge the broccoli into a bowl of cold water or run it under cold water for a minute or 2.