Chinese Broccoli

Chinese Broccoli

This is one of the best ways to get kids to eat their broccoli.

If you can’t get the kids to eat broccoli, you’ve not tried this recipe.

First take a bunch and steam them in a big pot or steamer for about five minutes. All you want is for them to shine, bright green. They’re done. You don’t want them to be over cooked.

Before we begin, we need to discuss preparation of broccoli for the most health benefits. It’s crazy healthy, and you can make it even healthier. Some of you regulars know how we explain garlic must be cut up 10 minutes before cooking; how the enzymes must be freed up to create the powerful chemicals you want to put into your body. 

Broccoli is the same.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, and cauliflower contain an important enzyme called myrosinase. This enzyme helps create sulforaphane – a powerful compound linked to cancer protection and reduced inflammation.
Myrosinase only works while the vegetable is raw. Once you cut or crush broccoli, the enzyme immediately starts converting natural compounds into sulforaphane. That reaction mostly finishes within about 30–45 minutes.
Unfortunately, high heat can deactivate myrosinase during cooking. However, after that, even if cooking destroys the enzyme, the sulforaphane has already been created and sulforaphane itself is heat-stable.
To make this habit easier, nutrition specialists suggest prepping vegetables at the very start of meal preparation. Cutting them into smaller pieces increases enzyme activity by exposing more surface area. Allowing chopped vegetables to rest for about 40–45 minutes before cooking gives the enzyme time to generate sulforaphane, potentially increasing their nutritional impact severalfold.
Gentle cooking methods, like steaming or quick sautéing, also help preserve these beneficial compounds. For an added advantage, combining cooked vegetables with raw cruciferous foods such as mustard seeds or horseradish can help restore sulforaphane production.
If you cooked large pieces without chopping first, much less sulforaphane would form because the enzyme never got activated.
This simple change in kitchen timing can help ensure you’re not just eating vegetables, but maximizing their natural protective properties against inflammation, oxidative stress, and long-term disease.
And we’ve added mustard seed powder to the sauce to supercharge the broccoli. It adds myrosinase back into the broccoli after steaming. This is just so healthy. 
Source: TOI Lifestyle Desk (2024). This is why cruciferous vegetables must be chopped 40–45 minutes before cooking. Times of India

And for you dieters, one cup of broccoli has 31 calories and just 6 grams of carbs. In fact, the sweet sauce you’ll mix up in this recipe (if you’ve made our homemade hoisin sauce) will have fewer than 6 carbs altogether.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons BochaSweet
  • 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce/Bragg Liquid Aminos
  • 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar/Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon MCT oil
  • 3 tablespoons Homemade Hoisin Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Ginger Root, minced
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard Seed Powder 
  • ½  teaspoon Konjac Flour (added last, a thickening agent) 
  •  

Directions

While the broccoli is steaming, whisk the sweetener, soy sauce (Bragg), vinegar, oil, hoisin sauce, ginger, and garlic together in a small saucepan over medium heat, and when the broccoli is done, add the konjac flour and whisk it in thoroughly.

You can either dip the broccoli in the sauce or lay out the broccolli and drizzle the sauce over it.

This is a great addition to any meal.

Pandemic Version

This is quick and dirty:

  • 3 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
  • ½ Tablespoon Rice Wine
  • 1/8 to 1/4 Cup Vanilla Brandy

If you want to thicken it, just dust in some Konjac Flour and stir. You don’t even have to cook this one, unless you want. But just go ahead and do it.

Hell, it’s a pandemic.

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