Chinese Broccoli

To kick off the week of Chinese New Year, I decided it would be appropriate to post a Chinese classic. 

As a kid every few weekends my family would make the trek down to Chinatown for dim sum. If you have not yet experienced good, authentic (well, as authentic as American Chinese gets) dim sum, I advise you to change that this weekend. No I am not talking about Ping Pong Dim Sum or little Dim Sum appetizers you find at some high-end Asian fusion restaurant, I’m talking about the round tables- with plenty of space to fit too much food- and waiters walking around with trays of medium-sized plates filled with sticky rice, dumplings and the likes. This is the Chinese brunch. It’s great; you point to the plates you want and have a feast in minutes. According to my dad, you say- pointing your finger at the food- “I want some of dem and some of”…dum? This doesn’t make sense anymore. Did my dad make that up? Probably, yes, but the idea of constant flow of good food to your table that you simply have to point at to eat, ingenious.

*There is a great dim sum restaurant in Chinatown, DC. The name slips my mind, but all I can tell you is that there are two lions in front- very helpful, I know. The dim sum is upstairs. I will post the name when it comes to me.

My sister and I had a few favorite dishes. One of which was Chinese broccoli believe it or not. Its rare to hear that a kid’s favorite dish is broccoli, but when you make this recipe, you will quickly discover why. The sauce that is drizzled on the greens is mouth watering. It's a brown sweet and salty masterpiece, made up of primarily oyster sauce.

What I am getting at with all this rambling is, go try dim sum one weekend day for brunch and try this recipe!

Makes 2-3 side servings

-1 bunch Chinese broccoli (or another sturdy green- I used bok choy in the picture), washed and cut into about 3 inch long pieces

-2 teaspoons of salt

-1 teaspoon fresh ginger, sliced

 Sauce

-3 tablespoons vegetable broth- or water

-3 tablespoons oyster sauce

-1 tablespoon rice vinegar

-1 teaspoon sugar

-1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

-1/2 teaspoon siracha (optional) 

In a pot add water(enough to cover broccoli), salt and ginger and bring to a boil. Add broccoli and cook until stalks are tender but crisp, about 4-5 minutes (for bok choy about 3 mins). Drain and rinse with a bit cold water to stop the cooking but keeping the broccoli room temperature.

Meanwhile, combine broth, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, soy and Siracha in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat to low and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Pour over cooked broccoli and serve.