Stir-Fried Ginger Broccoli

It’s been awhile. We say this a lot. We obviously don’t use this blog to make money or to showcase a business, so it’s the first thing to fall by the wayside when we’re busy. Currently, we have a baby, both work full-time, and are navigating a pandemic, so our blog has drifted to the bottom of the priority pile. The Cookbook Club really helps inspire us, but COVID ruined that for a few months there too, where we couldn’t get access to the selected books, as our libraries were closed. We’re joining in at the end of this month, but are really excited to get our hands on Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, by Grace Young. We bought a wok and can’t wait to learn how to stir-fry!

We wanted to start with something not too complex, so here we are with a classic Chinese stir-fry option, with not too many ingredients! It was a perfect place to start! It definitely wasn’t too complicated, but the end result was delicious!

Stir-Fried Ginger Broccoli

(Adapted from Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge, by Grace Young)

Ingredients: 

• ~4 inch chunk of fresh ginger, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 10 oz broccoli, cut into similarly sized florets
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oil (we use safflower)
• 1/4 tsp sugar

Instructions:

1. Prepare the ginger in two ways. Peel the chunk and cut off three slices approximately the size of a quarter. Set these aside. Grate the remaining chunk of ginger. Once grated, squeeze the ginger into a small container, to yield 2 tsp of ginger juice. Set this aside as well.
2. Portion out the soy sauce and sugar in additional small containers. You want to have all ingredients ready at hand, as the stir-frying goes quickly!
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding the salt to the pot. Add the broccoli and cook for just 1 minute, until the broccoli is bright green. Transfer to a colander and submerge in ice water to stop it from cooking more. Then toss to remove as much water as possible.
4. Heat your wok over high heat until, as Grace Young says, “a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact.”
5. Smash the ginger slices with the flat side of a knife. Swirl the oil into the wok and add the ginger slices. Stir-fry for just 10 seconds.
6. Add the broccoli, immediately followed by the soy sauce, ginger juice, and sugar. Stir-fry for 1 minute.

Serves 2-4 as a side