Steamed Broccolini with Garlic Sauce
Steamed Broccolini with Garlic Sauce cooks up in just minutes, and is a healthy and flavorful vegetable side dish that the family will love.
Many years ago (before I met Mr. Dreamboat), my family always went to one particular Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. My aunt and uncle took us there when we visted them, and I kept going after I moved here. We always ordered a Chinese broccoli (gai lan) dish that came with lots of garlic and oyster sauce. It didn’t sound like much, but it was so good!
That restaurant is no longer there, but I still think about that dish sometimes. When I saw a package of broccolini on sale in the grocery store the other day, I decided to try making something similar – Broccolini with Garlic Sauce.
I tried it two ways – the first method I tried was stir-frying the broccolini. It was okay, but it wasn’t cooked super evenly, and I didn’t get that nice bright green color on the broccolini that I wanted. The next test was to try steaming the broccolini before adding the sauce. Success! The broccolini was cooked much more evenly this time, and it was super quick and easy.
How to Make Steamed Broccolini with Garlic Sauce
The first step to making this broccolini is to make the sauce. Since the broccolini cooks up so quickly, you want to have the sauce ready to go so you’re not scrambling later. This simply involves whisking together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set it aside for now.
Now prepare the broccolini. Cut off any tough ends if there are any. If your broccolini didn’t come pre-washed, give it a quick rinse in a bowl or colander and shake off any excess water.
Pour ½ cup of water into a large skillet or saute pan that has a well-fitting lid. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then add the broccolini. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Let the broccolini steam for about 4-5 minutes until it’s bright green and tender-crisp. Drain the broccolini and rinse it with cold water to prevent it from overcooking.
Wipe out any excess water from the pan and heat some oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute until it becomes fragrant. Re-whisk the sauce and add it to the skillet. It will quickly start to thicken. Add the steamed broccolini to the pan and toss it with the sauce. Cook for about 1 more minute until the broccolini is heated through. Serve immediately.
Steamed Broccolini with Garlic Sauce Ingredients
- Chicken broth – You can use regular or reduced-sodium broth. To make your broccolini vegan, use vegan “no chicken” broth or vegetable broth.
- Oyster sauce – To make this dish vegan, use a vegan oyster sauce alternative. Use gluten-free oyster sauce to make it gluten-free. Find oyster sauce in the international aisle in any grocery store. Vegan or gluten-free versions may be more difficult to find, but should be available in well-stocked or specialty stores.
- Reduced-sodium soy sauce – Make sure to use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce to make this dish gluten-free.
- Sesame oil – Sesame oil is a strongly flavored oil made from sesame seeds. Find it in the aisle with other oils or in the international aisle of any grocery store.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch works to thicken the sauce, which helps it to coat the broccolini. Make sure that it is mixed into the sauce well, with no lumps, before adding it to the skillet.
- Broccolini – Broccolini is kind of like broccoli, but with smaller florets and longer, more tender stems. It is a cross between broccoli and gai lan (Chinese broccoli). Alternatively, you can use gai lan or broccoli, or even a Chinese green like bok choy.
- Water – use whatever water you normally drink. Cold tap water is fine.
- Canola oil – Or use any other neutral-flavored cooking oil.
- Garlic – Make sure to use fresh garlic here, not jarred minced garlic.
Want more quick and easy vegetable side recipes?
Steamed Broccolini with Garlic Sauce Nutrition Notes
To make this broccolini gluten-free, make sure to use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce and gluten-free oyster sauce.
Also note that oyster sauce is in fact made from oysters (or oyster extract) and is not vegan or vegetarian, nor is it safe for anyone with a shellfish allergy. To make it vegan/vegetarian and shellfish-free, use a vegan oyster sauce alternative, as well as vegan no-chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Steamed Broccolini with Garlic Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Whisk together ¼ cup chicken broth, 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 Tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Rinse 1 pound broccolini in cold, clean water and let the excess water drain off.
- Pour ½ cup water into a large skillet or saute pan. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then add the rinsed broccolini. Cover the pan with a lid, and reduce the heat to medium. Let the broccolini steam for 4-5 minutes until bright green and tender crisp. Drain the broccolini and rinse with cold water.
- Wipe out the pan and add 1 Tablespoon canola oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Re-whisk the sauce and pour it into the pan. Cook for about 1 more minute until the sauce is thickened. Add the steamed broccolini and toss it with the sauce. Cook for about 1 minute until the broccolini is heated through. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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