Spicy Asian Broccoli: Long spears of broccoli are tossed with Chinese chile-garlic sauce, minced fresh garlic, toasted sesame oil, a touch of raw sugar, and a few simple seasonings, then roasted until crisp-tender. This simple preparation outshines any cardboard takeout container of Chinese broccoli you might buy.
If you’ve followed this site for a while, you know I have a deep love for Asian flavors. After my favorite restaurant closed when the owner retired, I stopped ordering Chinese food out as often because nothing I found matched the perfectly garlicky, crisp-tender broccoli they used to serve. That memory pushed me to recreate the dish at home.
The result was a revelation: the key is roasting. Roasting concentrates flavor, gives the broccoli lightly charred edges, and takes the dish from ordinary to outstanding without the fuss of standing over a wok. It’s also ideal when you want to cook a lot at once—fill your baking sheets and the oven does the work.
When roasting this broccoli you’ll find yourself sneaking bites straight from the pan. One spear here, a handful there—you’ll likely finish far more than you planned. I’ve eaten an entire pan in one sitting, and it’s hard not to.
One tip: keep long pieces of stem attached to the florets. It looks better and saves you from wasting the tender stem. As long as you slice the stems thinly, they cook at the same rate as the florets and add a pleasant texture.
Spicy Asian Broccoli
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
- 4 broccoli crowns
- 2 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons Chinese chile-garlic sauce or sambal oelek
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons raw sugar or light brown sugar
- 2-3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- salt to taste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (or use an ungreased stoneware pan). Set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the canola oil, chile-garlic sauce, toasted sesame oil, raw sugar, and minced garlic until combined.
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Slice the broccoli crowns into long spears, leaving as much stem intact as possible. Avoid cutting spears too small, or they may burn before becoming crisp-tender. Add the broccoli to the bowl with the sauce and toss to coat evenly. Arrange the spears in a single layer on the prepared pan and sprinkle with salt to taste.
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Roast for 20–25 minutes, until the cut edges and florets show darkened, slightly charred spots and the broccoli is crisp-tender. Remove from the oven and serve immediately over hot rice or alongside stir-fried meats or tofu.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. For precise values, calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use.
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