There are some nights all I want to eat for dinner is a bowl of rice with some sort of Asian stir-fry. With stir-fry dishes you can pretty much use any veggies you have on your hand — I get mine from my veggie garden during spring time like it is now. Today I will be using broccoli, showing you how to get just the right amount of tenderness and flavor.

Inspiration for this recipe came from Thai cooking. I love Thai food and like to experiment with a variety of ingredients.

To make this stir fry it works best to pre-blanch the broccoli. This keeps broccoli bright green, crispy, and tender — not mushy or overcooked with a brown color. To blanch broccoli you can use the microwave or you can use stovetop blanching method. To use the microwave, submerge the broccoli in water and microwave it for about 3 minutes on high. Drain the water and rinse it with cold water several times. Make sure broccoli is cold to the touch before throwing it in the stir fry. For the stove top blanching method, refer to my instructions below.

As with any stir-fry make sure to gather your ingredients and prep everything before you start the cooking process. Then the cooking goes smoothly and quickly.

I hope you like the combination of flavors I use in this recipe! Try it and let me know how you like it.

Ingredients

Stir fry sauce

• 1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tbsp. minced ginger
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch

Chicken marinade

• 3 cups chicken breast, cut into 1/4-inch wide, 1 1/2-inch long pieces
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 tsp red pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander powder
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tbsp. water

Stir fry chicken and broccoli

• 1/2 cup oil
• 4 cups broccoli florets, blanched
• 1 cup yellow onion, cut into 1/3-inch wide julienne
• 1/4 cup green onion, cut into 1-inch wide pieces
• 1/2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Instructions

Blanching broccoli stove top method

Bring 8 cups of water and 1 1/2 tbsp. of salt to a rolling boil. Cooked the broccoli for 3 minutes in a boiling water. After 3 minutes, remove the broccoli and place it in an ice-bath. Make sure the broccoli are submerged in water. This process keeps the broccoli lush green and prevents it from over cooking. Drain well before adding to the stir-fry!

Stir-fry sauce

Place all stir-fry ingredients in a small bowl. Use a whisk to mix all ingredients well, then set aside.

Chicken marinade

Place chicken, red pepper powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, soy sauce, beaten egg, water, and cornstarch in a medium sized round baking dish. Use a clean hands to mix all the ingredients well. Make sure not to have any cornstarch clumps, then set aside.

Stir fry chicken and broccoli

Heat oil in a large wok over medium heat. When oil is hot add the marinated chicken, spreading it in a thin layer. Leave the chicken undisturbed for one minute, then use a slotted large spoon or wooden spatula to stir the chicken, gently break up the pieces as you stir. Cook the chicken for 6-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Turn down the heat then remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving most of the oil behind.

Turn up the heat to medium high, then add the onions, cook for 2 minutes, then add the broccoli. Stir well and cook for couple of minutes.

Add the sauce and gently mix in with the broccoli and onions. Cook until you see the sauce thickening around the edges. Put back the cooked chicken and accumulated juices back to the wok, stir gently, cook for another minute or two. Finish the stir-fry by folding in the green onions and lime juice. Turn off the heat.

Transfer the stir-fry to a serving platter, serve over rice or noodles of your choice.

Serves 6

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!