Mastering broccoli: The Chinese technique transforming taste

Chinese chefs have been honing the technique of preparing vegetables for many years, aiming to make them extravagantly aromatic, crispy, and full of umami. On the popular YouTube channel Made With Lau, run by a Chinese-American family of chefs, a recipe has surfaced that totally transforms our approach to cooking broccoli.

Cooking broccoli seems simple – after all, it's just a vegetable that can be tossed into boiling water or steamed for a while. However, this simplicity conceals a trap. Broccoli is delicate, and its structure is highly sensitive to temperature and cooking time. Cooking it for too long causes it to lose its vibrant green colour, become soft, watery, and even mushy – and with the texture, it also loses its flavour. Conversely, cooking it for too short a time can leave it hard and raw inside, which is frustrating for many people. In addition, if it's cooked in water without adding salt or fat, it becomes bland, and its natural aroma quickly fades away.

The issue is also that many people regard broccoli as an "extra vegetable" – they don't give it as much attention as the meat or sauce. However, to bring out its best, it requires the right treatment: quick, controlled, and thoughtful. That's why the Chinese method, based on quick blanching and fast frying, is so effective – because it brings back broccoli's natural strengths: crispiness, intense flavour, and full nutritional value.

Cooking broccoli doesn't have to mean bland, overcooked vegetables. Thanks to a method inspired by Chinese cuisine – blanching and quick stir-frying – broccoli takes on a completely new dimension: it remains crispy, vibrantly green, and full of aroma and umami flavour.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium broccoli,
• 4 cloves of garlic,
• 2 slices of ginger,
• cooking oil (sesame or rapeseed).

Ingredients for the sauce:

• ½ teaspoon of salt,
• 1 teaspoon of sugar,
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar,
• ½ teaspoon of seasoning mix (or powdered broth),
• 2 teaspoons of potato or cornflour,
• 2 tablespoons of water,
• 1 teaspoon of fish sauce or soy sauce,
• ½ teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice (originally: light cooking wine)

Instructions:

1. Place the broccoli in a bowl with salted water and let it sit for 5 minutes, then cut off and set aside the stem.
2. Divide the broccoli into smaller florets; peel and slice the stem.
3. Bring water to a boil in a large pot, toss in the broccoli, and blanch for 30 seconds.
4. Transfer the broccoli to a bowl of cold water and ice, leave for a moment, then drain thoroughly.
5. In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients, and finely chop the garlic.
6. Thinly slice the ginger, and heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan or wok. Toss in the garlic and ginger, fry for 30 seconds until they become fragrant, add the drained broccoli, and stir vigorously for 1–2 minutes.
7. Gradually pour in the sauce and continue stirring, cooking for about 1 more minute until the broccoli is coated with a glossy layer of sauce. Lastly, add a touch of oil to enhance the shine.