Steamed Broccoli with Flavorful Asian Sauce

There are two ways to make this recipe, either by stir-frying the broccoli with all the ingredients used for the sauce, or simply steam the veggies then spoon over prepped sauce instead. Even though we still need to cook the sauce for the second method, but the cooking smell that might linger in the kitchen is much milder compared to the full-on stir-fry.

So it's totally up to you. I've been cooking stir-fry veggies for the family, so this time around I'm going for the steaming route.

Steamed broccoli with flavorful Asian sauce -

Ingredients?

• 1 broccoli

Sauce:

• 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• 1 red chili
• 2 tablespoons preferred cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon black vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

How?

Break the broccoli to florets. Trim the stem so no fibrous layer is present. Cut the trimmed stem into smaller pieces. 

Steam the prepped broccoli for about 5 minutes then remove from heat and let it cool down. After that, arrange steamed broccoli to serving plate.

As for the sauce, peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem and remove the seeds off red chili, finely chop the chili. 

Use a sauce pan, drizzle 2 tablespoons of preferred cooking oil. I used olive oil since that's my regular oil to cook with. Also add in chopped garlic and chili. Bring to medium heat and cook till aromatic but not burning the garlic.

Add in all the other ingredients listed under the "sauce" section, which includes 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon of black vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar.

Mix till evenly blended and cook till the sugar has been fully dissolved.

While the sauce is still hot, pour over steamed broccoli.

So easy. On top of that, steamed broccoli can preserve, or lock-in more nutrients compared to stir-fry. I know some people even vouch for the microwave method, but I don't have a microwave at home so can't really test it out myself.

However, the key here is to provide an easier way to prep veggies without sacrificing the taste, and I think my Asian sauce can do just the trick. 

Extended reading:

• Chinese steamed red grouper with ginger and scallion (油淋清蒸紅條魚)