Have you ever tried broccolini? It is a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli. It has been my recent favorite food. I will introduce a super-easy way to make a 5-minute broccolini stir-fry without blanching.
I love the texture and taste of broccololini more than both traditional broccoli and Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan). It has super-long, slender stems and small florets compared to broccoli. We all know tender stems have a crunchy texture. And the best part is it does not have only bitterness at all.
Non-blanching method
Blanching is a very popular Chinese cooking method for vegetables, as it cooks them evenly while preserving their bright green color and crunchy texture. Sometimes we use this method to remove any raw taste or bitterness from the raw ingredients.
However, since broccolini is such a lovely vegetable, free of bitterness and with a slender stem that cooks evenly, I will use a steaming-braising method. We will add just a minimal amount of water and cover the lid. The steam creates a high-heat environment that can cook the vegetables super quickly.
I love this method so much because it is quicker and there is no need to boil a large pot of water. And most importantly, we keep both the crunchy texture and vibrant green color perfectly.
Step by Step
Peel the tough skins and cut them in half. The stem is similar to that of asparagus. So the treatment is similar too.
Add the broccoli to a wok, then add about 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the lid and let it cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
Then move the broccolini to the sides, leaving the center empty. Add oil, garlic, and dried chili peppers. Fry until aromatic and then mix with the broccolini.
Add a small pinch of salt and a drizzle of soy sauce. Quickly combine everything and serve hot.
It tastes super great. With the first bite, you will taste the pungent aroma of garlic and the heat of chili peppers. Then the sweetness of the broccolini.
Broccolini stir fry
Ingredients
- 200 g broccolini
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil
- 5 cloves garlic roughly chopped into larger pieces
- 3-4 dried chili peppers cut into small sections, optional
- 2 tbsp. water
- a very small pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
Instructions
- Peel the tough skins and cut them in half. The stem is similar to that of asparagus. So the treatment is identical too.
- Add the broccoli to a wok, then add about 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the lid and let it cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Then move the broccolini to the sides and leave the center empty. Add oil, garlic, and dried chili peppers. Fry until aromatic. Fry to mix well.
- Add a small pinch of salt, and a drizzle of soy sauce. Quickly combine everything and serve hot.
Video
I love how simple this method is.
No fluff—just the simplest methods that actually work 😊
This is a question, not a comment. took a Chinese cooking class 45 years ago, for “Braised green onions with 3 meats.” The instructor was from Harbin. The 3 meats were chicken breast sliced into medalions, sliced pork into same size as the chicken, and medium sized shrimp. The sauce had hoisin plus more and was delicious. Since then I’ve looked online and in my cookbooks but never found such a recipe. Are you familiar with this? I would love to find it. Thank you.
Hi,William
this dish isn’t a well-known or standard recipe in traditional Chinese cuisine. However, combining three different meats (or proteins) in one stir-fry or braise does reflect a certain culinary trend that was more common in the 1980s, especially in banquet-style or home-style cooking that emphasized abundance and variety.
More importantly, the use of hoisin sauce as a primary braising sauce for such a dish would have been quite unusual in China at that time, particularly in northeastern regions like Harbin. While hoisin sauce has long been used in Beijing (e.g., with Peking duck) and in Cantonese cooking, it wasn’t widely adopted as a base for mixed-meat braises in northern home kitchens back then.
it’s highly likely that your instructor created this recipe himself—perhaps blending regional techniques, personal taste, and available ingredients (especially if they were teaching outside of China). It’s a wonderful example of how cooking classes often preserve unique, undocumented dishes that live on only in students’ memories… and now, thanks to you, in this conversation too!