The secret to flavorful stir fried broccoli is to use a combination of potent aromatics and sauces and high heat as well as proper preparation like a quick pre cook.
These elements when making flavorful stir fried broccoli ensure that you get a nice crisp texture and also infuse deep and savory flavors to the stir fried broccoli.
Key techniques used for making flavorful stir-fried broccoli are blanching or pre steaming, high heat and no crowding, aromatics and use of savory sauce and optional cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce to make the sauce cling nicely to the broccoli.
Many recipes for flavorful stir-fried broccoli recommend blanching the broccoli in some salted water for a minute or two, which ensures the broccoli is crisp and tender and a vibrant green color before it even hits the wok.
Although an alternative is to fry and then steam the broccoli in a small amount of water or stock that is added to the hot pan and covered with a lid to quickly steam the broccoli until it becomes crisp and tender.
Stir frying the broccoli to get it flavorful and get the bet results also requires high heat, and if the pan is too crowded, then the temperature drops and the broccoli will then steam instead of sear, which results in a soggy texture.
And using a large wok or even a heavy duty skillet like a cast iron skillet is even better when stir frying broccoli as it helps maintain the required temperature for proper stir frying.
And using freshly minced garlic and ginger for the stir fried broccoli are also essential for the burst of flavor.
The freshly minced garlic and ginger should be added to the hot oil just before the main ingredients to become fragrant, which is often no more than 30 seconds to 60 seconds, which avoids burning them.
The flavor of the stir-fried broccoli also comes from a combination of ingredients, which can create a balance of savory and sweet and tangy notes.
A simple mix of soy sauce or even oyster sauce is great for extra umami or even a touch of sugar or honey to balance and a splash of rice wine vinegar is a great base for the stir fried broccoli.