Stir-Frying · FFET10258
Suanrong xilanhua (garlic broccoli)
Blanched broccoli is stir-fried with plenty of garlic and finished with stock and a starch glaze.
A round white porcelain plate holds green broccoli florets coated in a clear, glossy starch glaze and scattered with plenty of pale minced garlic, with a pair of wooden chopsticks resting beside the plate on the table.
Cooking small pieces in a little oil over high heat, tossed quickly in the wok.
Suanrong xilanhua is broccoli that is blanched or put straight into the pan, stir-fried over high heat with plenty of garlic, seasoned with wine or soy sauce, and finished with stock and a starch glaze. Broccoli’s Chinese name reflects its western origin and a taste like kai-lan. A 2024 food article places broccoli’s arrival in China around the early 20th century; this dates the vegetable’s arrival, not the dish. No dated record of the dish itself was found, and none ties it to a province.
What
Suanrong xilanhua is broccoli florets blanched, or put straight into the pan, and stir-fried over high heat with plenty of chopped garlic, then finished with stock or soy sauce and a thin starch glaze.1,2
When
No dated record of the dish itself was found. A 2024 food article places broccoli’s arrival in China around the early 20th century; this dates the vegetable’s arrival, not the dish.4
Where
One version is takeout-style broccoli with garlic sauce. Neither of the 2 recipes identifies a regional origin, and no source ties it to a province.1,2
How
One method blanches the broccoli for about 1 minute and makes a thin glaze from garlic, wine, chicken stock, a starch mixture and a few drops of sesame oil, taking about 20 minutes in all. The other stir-fries the broccoli for about 15 seconds, then adds a sauce of soy sauce, dark soy sauce and stock, thickened with starch, in about 15 minutes in all.1,2
Why
No text was found that explains how the dish arose. Broccoli’s Chinese name reflects its western origin and a taste like kai-lan, the local Chinese vegetable closest to it.3,4
Impact and influence
China produced 9.8 million metric tons of broccoli in 2024.5
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is my home version of garlic broccoli. The method and amounts mainly follow one signed recipe: the broccoli is blanched for about 1 minute, then cooked with 5 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 tablespoon of wine, half a cup of chicken stock (I converted it to about 120 ml), a starch mixture and a few drops of sesame oil. About 300 g of broccoli is my conversion from 4 cups of florets. A second recipe stir-fries the broccoli for about 15 seconds before adding a soy sauce mixture; I did not follow it and just borrowed the idea of a little soy sauce, in an amount of my own. The starch ratio, the heat for the garlic and how soft I like the broccoli are my own choices at home.
Ingredients
- Broccoli about 300 g, broken into small florets
- Garlic 5 cloves, minced
- Cooking oil 1 tablespoon
- Shaoxing wine 1 tablespoon
- Chicken stock about 120 ml
- Cornstarch 1 teaspoon, stirred into 1 tablespoon of water (my own amount)
- Light soy sauce 1 teaspoon (my own amount)
- Sesame oil a few drops
- Salt, for the blanching water a small pinch
Steps
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a small pinch of salt, blanch the broccoli for about 1 minute, then lift it out and drain.
- Stir the chicken stock, the starch mixture and the light soy sauce together in a small bowl.
- Heat the wok, add the tablespoon of oil, turn the heat to low and fry the garlic until fragrant, about twenty seconds, without letting it brown. Drizzle the wine in along the edge of the wok.
- Add the broccoli, turn the heat to high and toss a few times so the garlic coats it. Pour in the sauce from the small bowl and cook until it thickens and turns glossy, about 1 minute. I poke a stem with the tip of a knife: it should go in but still feel a little firm.
- Turn off the heat, add a few drops of sesame oil, toss and serve.
Tips
- Minced garlic burns and turns bitter easily, so I always fry it over low heat and move on as soon as it smells fragrant. That is my own way.
- I drain the broccoli well after blanching, because water thins the sauce. That is my own habit.
Allergens: soy, wheat, sesame