Broccoli in garlic sauce | incidentally vegan | Chinese-American inspired

***RECIPE, SERVES TWO***

1 medium-large crown of broccoli (about 12 oz, 340g)
3-4 garlic cloves
1 small thumb of ginger (about the same amount as the garlic)
1/2 a small fresh chili (or throw the whole thing in)
1 cup water or stock or reserved broccoli water (see below)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup (60mL) soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (or white sugar + a dab of molasses, or honey)
2 teaspoons mustard
2-3 tablespoons Marmite (or oyster sauce)
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch (or any refined starch)
pepper
MSG to taste (salt would be fine)
any cooking oil
sesame seeds for garnish (very optional)
1 cup (200g) white rice (dry)

Wash and drain the rice, combine it with 1.75x the volume of plain water in a pot, bring to a boil uncovered and cook until the water level goes just below the surface of the rice. Cover, reduce the heat to low and let cook for 10-15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Turn the heat off but leave the lid on as it rests until you eat. Fluff before serving.

(Or make your rice however you want — there's literally no way I can make rice on the internet that won't make people angry, so I just try it a different way every time.)

While you're getting the rice going, peel and chop the garlic and ginger with the chili.

Put a steamer basket at the bottom of a big pot and put in enough water to come up to the basket. Cover the pot, put the heat on high and bring the water to a boil. (If you don't have a steamer, you can boil the broccoli instead.)

While you're waiting for the water to boil, cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets. When the steamer is steaming, throw in all the broccoli, cover, and get a big bowl of ice water ready. When the broccoli has steamed for three minutes (maybe 3:30 if you're boiling instead of steaming), pull it out and dump it immediately into the ice water. Stir it around until the pieces have all cooled down. They should feel a little undercooked at this stage.

If you want, save 1 cup (237mL) of the green steamer water to use in the sauce. Once the pot is empty and dry, return it to the burner and put your heat on medium.

Coat the pan with a thin film of oil (NOT the sesame oil), throw in the garlic, ginger and chili, stir and fry for a couple minutes until soft. Put in the cup of water (or stock or reserved broccoli water), soy sauce, sugar, mustard, Marmite, sesame oil, onion powder and a few grinds of pepper.

While that's simmering, dissolve the cornstarch in just enough water to make a thick slurry. While one hand stirs, use the other hand to drizzle in slurry until you get a very thick consistency — you might not need all of the slurry.

Taste the sauce, consider adding MSG (or salt) or more of any of the other sauce ingredients it might need. Remember that the broccoli and rice are totally unseasoned, so the sauce needs to be strong enough and salty enough to flavor both itself and the broccoli and rice, i.e. too strong on its own. The texture should be very thick, because the broccoli will water it down a little. The sauce is easy to burn when it's this thick, so you might want to turn the heat down (or off).

Pull the broccoli out of the water, drain it thoroughly and toss it in the sauce until warm and coated. You can stir in water if the sauce is too thick. Dish out the rice, serve the broccoli and extra sauce on top, optionally garnish with sesame seeds.

[Tierneycristian]

So delicious..Mushrooms did wonders in my life. I was severely traumatized years ago as a teenage, got diagnosed with cptsd. Also suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Much respect to mother nature the great magic shrooms.

[thomasking]

At this point you should make an “incidentally vegan” playlist.

[aragusea]

Well, the success of this video was a surprise. Usually vegetable-based dishes are my worst performing. Does this mean I should be doing more Chinese stuff?

[cgem]

I've made this about six times since the recipe went live, subbing in all different veggies - carrot, bell pepper, a bag of stir fry mix when I'm in the mood. I live alone and hate cooking for one person, this makes two portions so I've enough for lunch the next day, and it's super easy to make. Thank you!

[redrockcrf]

Y'all might doubt the Marmite in this context, but I know Malaysian restaurant cooks who verify it is a good substitue for Shrimp paste in curries, etc. Miso is also a very good salty / Umami sub

[mylifeisaparty]

He always says “enough for me and Lauren” and I just wonder what his children eat

[BeefBronson]

“Meaty sugar glaze” is absolutely going to become a YTP staple

[SilverCymbal]

So glad you made this one, your version is genius! Saves me always going out got for this.Thank you as always!

[trouty]

This was an outstanding recipe, I made this for my husband and I tonight and it was delicious. Used oyster sauce and brown sugar instead of the Marmite & molasses and was fantastic. It was savory, salty, a little sweet, a little spicy, and had all the garlic & ginger flavor we crave whenever we have Chinese food. We went decidedly un-vegan and had some pan-seared salmon with it as well and it paired perfectly with the sauce as well!

[fratercontenduntocculta]

The speed of your speaking is just right to follow along with, and incidentally you're also teaching me how to cook! This is definitely a skill any man should add to his life!

[slack]

2:43 Ladies and gentleman, Adam Ragusea. The channel with the LEAST predictable sponsorship transitions

[Ripheart]

You could definitely add tofu to this for some extra protein, and a different texture. Just throw in some silken or soft at the very end

[burblingbarbacoa]

I've taken to searing broccoli (more often brocollini) on high heat, without steaming it prior. Brocolli takes on some amazing, flavour when it gets a bit of char, and you get this incredibly cruchy texture that I just don't get with steaming. That being said, who doesn't love a good steamed broccoli.

[deementia]

Many Chinese Grocery stores have vegetarian oyster sauce in stock. It's great, and works well with hot sesame oil and sweet soy to make very flavorful fried rice too.

[AndromedaCripps]

Second time making this recipe, Adam! It’s super simple because every ingredient has a purpose and it’s really easy to taste and add more of whatever thing you need. And because each thing has such a clear purpose: mustard brings acid, soy sauce brings salt, oyster sauce brings umami, sugar brings sweetness, etc., it’s easy to identify what you should add when the taste is lacking. I also add in sone Chinese 5-Spice and Chicken!

[fpanch]

As someone that works in chinese-amercian take out restaurant, you did a pretty good job. If you want tbe broccoli to be crisp, you can also blanch it through hot oil. Just a few scond is good, else the little flowers will burn.

[patricktracey]

Those compilations of Adam breathing have made me unbearably aware of the fact that he breathes in these videos

[hieronymusprintrepair]

"That's enough for me and Lauren" yup, the kids didn't eat today

[GrammaSheShe]

I love how quickly you do it. I don’t have all day to sit here and watch it because I want to go make it! Thank you.

[benreeve]

to anyone hoping to make this vegetarian but easier: you can buy vegetarian oyster sauce that is made from mushrooms. You can a few tablespoons of that instead of the sugar, molassas, and marmite. It also has some salt too so keep that in mind with your other seasonings.