My Chinese Recipe Menu
- How I Feel About This Broccoli in Superior Broth
- Story Behind Broccoli in Superior Broth
- Original Name
- Cooking Tips
- Cooking Time
- Ingredients to Make Broccoli in Superior Broth
- Food
- Seasonings
- How to Make Broccoli in Superior Broth
- Preparation
- Cooking
How I Feel About This Broccoli in Superior Broth
Broccoli is my favorite vegetable after I learned it contains a lot vitamin C. But it's hard to cook it in a delicious way. Usually, its taste is bland and dry. Until I found this broccoli in rich broth from a local takeaway shop. I almost have it every week. That's the best way to cook broccoli. The stalks soak up all the flavor from the broth, making them tender and full of taste.
Usually, we don't drink the soup but eat up all the other vegetables.Broccoli is considered a superfood due to its high content of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. If you’ve felt the same way about broccoli, I highly recommend giving this dish a try—you’ll know exactly what I mean!
Story Behind Broccoli in Superior Broth
What is Superior Broth? It's called shang tang in Chinese. The traditional ingredients for making “shang tang” (Superior broth) are: 19 jin of lean pork, 8 jin of old chicken, and 3 jin of raw ham (with the skin removed), combined with 42 jin of water. This mixture is simmered over low heat until it reduces to around 30 jin.
The resulting broth is extremely flavorful and is used as a seasoning in cooking. The use of this superior broth depends on the natural flavor of the ingredients. For seafood, superior broth is generally unnecessary, as seafood is already very flavorful, and adding the broth might actually diminish its natural taste. For some ingredients that have a certain amount of flavor, a secondary broth (made from reusing the original ingredients) is sufficient.
In the strictest sense, superior broth is used mainly in large restaurants as a seasoning due to the high cost and effort involved in making it. Small restaurants and households rarely prepare it, and drinking the broth directly is out of the question due to its high cost.
In modern recipes, stock are commonly used as a substitute to speed up the cooking process.
Original Name
- Translated English Name: Broccoli in Superior Broth
- Original Chinese Pronunciation: Shang Tang Xi Lan Hua 上汤西兰花
Note: You may use the Chinese name to order in China because the translated English name of the dishes might be different in every restaurant.
Cooking Tips
- Taste the broth before you add salt. I didn't add salt for this recipe because the stock I use is enough
- The texture of broccoli depend on the time you boil it.
Cooking Time
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 10 mins
Ingredients
Serving: 1
Food
Broccoli — 1 head
Carrot — 1 piece
Preserved Egg — 1 piece
Garlic — 3 cloves
Ginger — 2 slices
Water — 1 cup
Seasonings
Stock — 32g/1.1oz
White Pepper Powder — 1 tsp
How to Cook Broccoli in Superior Broth
Preparation
1. Wash the broccoli and break it into small florets. Blanch it in boiling water, then remove and set aside.
2. Peel and wash the carrot, then cut it into your preferred shape (I cut it into heart shapes this time).
3. Dice the preserved egg, and mince the garlic and slice the ginger.
Cooking
1. Heat a pan with some oil, add minced ginger and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the carrot slices and stir-fry.
2. Add water and bring it to a boil then adding the stock cube. Stir and mix well.
3. Add the diced preserved egg, salt, and white pepper power, and simmer for 5 minutes. Then, add the broccoli.
4. Dish up. Please enjoy the best vegetable dish, broccoli in superior broth.
