
Chinese Broccoli Stir Fry
February 4, 2016
We just finished the “Garlic Lovers” series of classes. The recipes were big hits, which was a good thing as we all, teacher and students alike, were saturated with the aroma of garlic as we left class. In fact, not only was it on my breath, but I could smell garlic in my hair for the rest of the day! It’s a good thing that my German husband has developed a love of garlic, too, or he probably would’ve made me sleep with our dogs after the classes! My well-worn wok was used to make the Chinese Broccoli Stir Fry, but you could use a large cast iron skillet instead. If you only have a medium skillet and the veggies start to get crowded during cooking, you might consider removing the batches of veggies to a bowl to keep warm while you cook the next batch. Combine all veggies in the skillet again as you are cooking the sauce. Enjoy!
Chinese Broccoli Stir Fry – 6 servings
4 T peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 T minced garlic
1/4 t red chili flakes, or more, to taste
1 small red onion, trimmed and cut into 4 wedges, layers separated
1 head broccoli, cut into 1-inch pieces (peel the tough skin from the stem pieces)
6 scallions, 5 cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces, 1 thinly sliced and reserved
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts
2/3 C broth or water, heated
1 T soy sauce
1 T cornstarch, dissolved in 1 T cold water
2 t sesame seeds, toasted
Heat a large wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, and chili flakes and stir-fry just until they are aromatic, about 30 seconds. Scoop them out and set them aside to add back in later with the stock/water.
Add the remaining oil to the wok. When it is shimmers, add the onion pieces and stir-fry until they turn shiny, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broccoli pieces. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the 1-inch scallion pieces. Continue stir-frying until they are shiny, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the sliced water chestnuts, along with 1/3 cup of the hot stock and the reserved seasonings. Stir-fry about 2 minutes more. Add the rest of the stock, soy sauce, and cornstarch mixture and stir-fry until the vegetables look glazed with sauce, about 1 minute more.
Garnish with the sliced scallions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.