This spicy asian-style broccoli is bursting with spice from ginger, garlic, and chili sauce. The broccoli retains its texture and gets crispy edges. Ready in minutes!
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Let's have broccoli that keeps its texture (never mushy), gets crispy on the edges, and is packed with Asian flavors! It's my easy, spicy Asian broccoli and you're gonna love it!
Broccoli loves spicy flavors and it cooks quickly. Bonus: We're using the crowns AND the stems of the broccoli. Not wasting nothin'! Texture! Flavor! Less food waste! YAY!
A quick stir-fry of the broccoli crowns in sesame oil means the stalks keep their texture and the ends get crispy. Then we'll whip up a spicy Asian sauce made with garlic and ginger to take things over the top.
You'll have all your chopping and whisking done in just a few minutes so you can just sit back and let the magic happen.
Jump to:
Spicy Asian broccoli is quick, easy, low in calories and full of flavor!
- Ready in about 20 minutes!
- Full of Asian flavors like soy and sesame.
- Quick prep: Just chop a little broccoli and grate some garlic and ginger.
- It's vegetarian and dairy free.
- Reduces food waste by using all of the broccoli crowns and stems.
- Only 163 calories per serving!
Ingredients you'll need
Broccoli loves all of these Asian flavors. It's sturdy enough to stand up to salty, sweet, spicy, earthy, and umami and we have all of those in this recipe!
- Broccoli crowns: We want tight, firm broccoli crowns, not limp or bendable. We'll be using the stem to add texture so no wasting those either!
- Chili sauce: You could use any type of Asian chili sauce for this recipe. I like Huy Fong chili garlic sauce, you can find it online or at specialty markets. I've also used Sambal Olek and it works well.
- Low sodium soy sauce: Be sure it's low sodium. There's a fair amount of it in the dish so the full salt version would be overpowering.
- Honey: This will give us sweetness and give the spicy sauce some body.
- Rice vinegar: Adds a hint of acid and tang.
- Water: We need to add water so the sauce can reduce without over-concentrating.
- Garlic and ginger: They will be grated so they add flavor that permeates the sauce. Grating ensures that you won't bite down on big hunks of them either.
- Sesame oil and olive oil: Sesame oil adds an amazing umami flavor, but can be overpowering on its own. Mixing it with olive oil will even out the flavors while still giving us all the good sesame oil vibes.
Recommended tools and equipment
- Chef's knife, vegetable peeler, and cutting board: To chop the broccoli.
- Mixing bowl and whisk: To whip up the sauce.
- Large, deep skillet: To cook the broccoli and thicken the Asian sauce.
How to make spicy Asian broccoli
Step 1: Chop the broccoli
Cut the crowns at the point where the thin stalks meet the thicker part of the stem. Then cut the crowns into long stalks, leaving a flat, cut side when possible.
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the thick stem, then cut into quarters and slice into smaller pieces about ⅛ inch thick.
Step 2: Prep the garlic and ginger
Use a microplane grater to grate the garlic cloves and ginger, set aside.
PREP TIP You don't need to peel the ginger! Just wash it before grating and you're all set. It will be grated so finely, you won't notice any textural difference if you leave the peel on.
Step 3: Whisk the Asian-style sauce together
In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, grated garlic and ginger, honey, water, and chili sauce until combined.
Step 4: Sauté the broccoli
Add the sesame oil and olive oil to a large, deep skillet over medium hight heat. Sauté the pieces of broccoli stem until they are just getting golden on the edges.
Add the broccoli florets to the pan and cook, stirring frequently. Remove when the edges are turning golden and crispy, but the broccoli still remains bright green. You want them to still have some texture, not to wilt and soften.
Remove the broccoli to a serving platter.
Step 6: Cook the sauce
Add the sauce to the same skillet over medium high heat. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Pour sauce over the broccoli and serve.
Tips for spicy Asian broccoli
- It's very important to cook the asian-style sauce and the broccoli separately. If you add the sauce to the broccoli in the pan, the broccoli will release all its water. Then it will get mushy, and the sauce will never thicken.
- The honey has a tendency to sink to the bottom of the bowl, so be sure to whisk it well before adding the sauce to the skillet.
- Don't like it so spicy? You can reduce the amount of chili sauce, or eliminate it altogether. Choose your own adventure!
Substitutions
- To make this Asian broccoli recipe vegan, swap the honey for agave syrup.
- You can use a variety of types of chili sauce. I used Huy Fong garlic chili sauce, but Sambal Olek, Calabrian chili paste, even Sriracha sauce would work.
- Swap Tamari for the soy sauce and your Asian broccoli will be gluten free.
Storage and reheating instructions
Spicy Asian-style broccoli is best when served immediately. It will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, but the sauce will thin considerably because the broccoli will continue to release its water content as it sits.
Reheat in a microwave or in a skillet over medium heat until warmed through. The texture will be different, but it will still taste good!
How to serve Asian broccoli
- Serve it with white or brown rice.
- Add it to a grain bowl!
- It would be the perfect side dish with Vietnamese Caramel Chicken or Pork Lettuce Wraps.
- Aside from being spicy, the Asian-style sauce is packed with all kinds of flavor, so you could serve this broccoli alongside something more lightly seasoned like roast chicken.
- Make it part of a vegetarian feast alongside Honey Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
More spicy side dish recipes
If you're here for all the spicy broccoli, try this Charred Broccoli with Calabrian Chili Paste. It's served on a bed of cooling yogurt. This Roasted Butternut Squash Salad gets a spicy kick from harissa! And who can resist the spicy/sweet flavor combo in a Chipotle Sweet Potato Gratin?
Recipe
Asian Broccoli
Ingredients
Broccoli
- 1 pound broccoli crowns with stems
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 3 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce such as huy fong garlic chili sauce, sambal olek, sriracha
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 4 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Cut the crowns at the point where the thin stalks meet the thicker part of the stem. Then cut the crowns into long stalks, leaving a flat, cut side when possible. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the thick stem, then cut into quarters and slice into smaller pieces about ⅛ inch thick.
- Use a microplane grater to grate the garlic cloves and ginger, set aside. There's no need to peel the ginger, just wash it before grating.
- In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, grated garlic and ginger, honey, water, and Vietnamese chili sauce until combined.
- Add the sesame oil and olive oil to a large, deep skillet over medium hight heat. Sauté the pieces of broccoli stem until they are just getting golden on the edges.
- Add the broccoli florets to the pan and cook, stirring frequently. Remove when the edges are turning golden and crispy, but the broccoli still remains bright green. You want them to still have some texture, not to wilt and soften. Remove the broccoli to a serving platter.
- Add the sauce to the same skillet over medium high heat. Stir constantly until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour sauce over the broccoli and serve.
Notes
- It's very important to cook the asian-style sauce and the broccoli separately. If you add the sauce to the broccoli in the pan, the broccoli will release all its water. Then it will get mushy, and the sauce will never thicken.
- The honey has a tendency to sink to the bottom of the bowl, so be sure to whisk it well before adding the sauce to the skillet.
- Don't like it so spicy? You can reduce the amount of chili sauce, or eliminate it altogether. Choose your own adventure!
Capt NJ Marinaro
Could have had a better delineation on the sauce recipe. I'm a baker, so many of my recipes don't have a required sequence. Despite the oil in the sauce, the recipe is a keeper. I'll get it right next week.
Debra
Hi!
I've separated the broccoli with its cooking oil from the sauce and put them into their own ingredient sections. Thanks for pointing that out, I always want my recipes to be easy to follow!
Thanks for reading and cooking my recipes,
Debra