Broccoli Stir Fry
The pan vegan stir-fry is so easy to make that you can serve it to your vegan friends whenever they come for a meal.
Broccoli is also a versatile vegetable. You can pair it with many other veggies or proteins. Are you having steak? Go on and blanch some broccoli. Are you packing lunch for your kids? Do you need to add some greens? Blanched or boiled broccoli is the way to go.
Broccolis look like small edible trees, with texture and overall mouthfeel that anyone will love. It's crunchy and juicy at the same time and always takes no more than ten minutes to prepare.
Whenever you make a vegan dish, your main go-to ingredient should be either broccoli or shiitake mushrooms. For this recipe, you'll be using both!
Broccoli stir fry can be as simple as broccoli and minced garlic or onions. Over time, as versatile as it is, people have tried adding more ingredients. For example, you can add carrots for some sweetness and shiitake mushrooms for protein.
Health Benefits
Recent studies have shown that broccoli intake is for your heart. Since heart disease kills many people yearly, people recommend a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables to improve heart health.
Cruciferous vegetables are vegetables packed with cardiovascular health benefits. Examples are arugula, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, and broccoli. You'll be surprised that broccoli is also good for your skin.
It has a lot of vitamin C and antioxidants and is excellent for your eyes. Likewise, broccoli is easily accessible and reasonably priced, given all its benefits. More people should be open to trying vegetables that suit their taste so they don't miss out on all their health benefits.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo of broccoli
- 1 carrot (sliced thinly)
- 1-2 cups shiitake mushrooms (sliced thinly)
- 2 onions (sliced thinly)
- 2 bulbs of garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsps of salted butter
- Salt & pepper (soy sauce can substitute for salt)
How to Make Broccoli Stir Fry
1. Sauteeing: Drop your onions and carrots in a heated pan. Once onions have caramelized, you may now add in your broccoli florets.
2. Stir-frying broccoli: Make sure to stir-fry your broccoli briefly so you still have that crunch. Just allow the greens of the florets to have a more lively color and not look dry and raw. Once that's all settled, add in your minced garlic and mix.
3. Adding mushrooms: Finally, add in your shiitake mushrooms. To clean your shiitake mushrooms, you can brush off their dirt or wipe them off using a damp paper towel. When you wash them, ensure it's just a quick rinse, as mushrooms absorb water quickly.
4. Preparing butter: Add in your butter. Add as much as you want as you believe you need. Always make sure you add these gradually!
5. Seasoning: Add your pepper & soy sauce. Using these ingredients creates this savory umami flavor.
6. Mixing and serving: Mix well, and you're done!
This recipe makes about six small servings.
You can enjoy this dish as is, or you can add rice or noodles.
Alternatives to Shiitake Mushrooms
King oyster mushrooms
Since these mushrooms are pretty big, slice these the way you would a cucumber: in rounds. You can roast these over a mix of shoyu and sugar and throw in some thyme for extra flavor.
Enoki mushrooms
These mushrooms are great whether they're fried or stir-fried. You may try to substitute your butter with some sesame oil. Instead of near-raw minced garlic, you could wait till they're brown and toasted before mixing in. You'll get that smokey mouthfeel for your toasted garlic.
Shimeji mushrooms
These mushrooms are also great with butter and shoyu. Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice if you use shimeji mushrooms.