Last Updated on February 9, 2021 by Simon Fan
Broccolini is a fascinating vegetable. It’s a natural hybrid of broccoli and gai lan, aka Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale.
That means broccolini is not baby broccoli as it’s often called in the US. While broccoli and gai lan, originally from the northern Mediterranean and southern China respectively, have been cultivated in human history for a long time, broccolini was introduced to the market in the 1990s following years of research and development.
The new vegetable has thin stems just like gai lan and smaller florets than broccoli. The flavor of broccolini is reminiscent of both broccoli and gai lan, but more complex and nuanced.
The entire vegetable can be used for cooking. For a lighter touch, a quick stir-frying, steaming, or blanching in salted water is all you need. However, like other vegetables in the cabbage family, broccolini becomes more intriguing if you cook it to a point that it starts to char and caramelize, creating more concentrated flavor and bring out its natural sweetness and nuttiness.
You can achieve that by roasting or grilling. Or follow my recipe below by charring the vegetable in a wok or skillet over the stovetop. It’s quicker than roasting and gives you better control than grilling. I’ve noticed that charring the vegetable without oil provides better results. I like to season the dish simply with salt and pepper and finish with toasted nuts for additional layers of texture and flavor. Feel free to play around with the seasoning, for example, by using hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, or chili sauce.
Try to use organic broccolini if you can. The non-organic ones are not as flavorful and tend to have thicker stems that may require peeling.
Wok-charred broccolini with garlic and walnuts
Serves 2
Ingredients
8 oz (230 g) organic broccolini, cut crosswise in 2-inch (5 cm) pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of sugar
¼ cup toasted walnuts or any nuts of your choice, coarsely chopped (optional)
Directions
- Heat a wok or skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the broccolini, and stir and toss from time to time until it’s slightly charred in spots, about 4 minutes. Transfer the broccolini to a plate.
- Heat the oil in the wok over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and stir-fry quickly until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Return the broccolini to the wok. Stir and toss, adding a splash of water as needed, until the garlic is well distributed. Season to taste with the salt, pepper, and sugar. Turn off the heat, mix in the walnuts, and serve right away.
