Blanched Broccoli with Braised Shiitake Mushrooms Meat-Free | BIG Bites MY

Blanched Broccoli with Braised Shiitake Mushrooms

This is a popular meat-free dish to serve during Chinese festivals and wedding dinners. This is really SO EASY LAH! Preparation time is only about 10 minutes. And then you need just about 30 minutes of cooking time. The recipe shown here feeds 1 - 2, just double up accordingly if you are cooking for more. Such a good combination to go with rice or noodles!

Watch video for step-by-step method of preparation

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Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serving: 1 - 2 (increase portions accordingly if you are cooking for more)

Ingredients:

• Broccoli
• 1 small broccoli
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon groundnut oil
• 1000ml water
  
  
• Braised Mushrooms
• 5 dried Shiitake mushrooms
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon rock sugar
• 1 tablespoon Shao Xing wine
• 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon groundnut oil
• 4 pips garlic
• 1 teaspoon corn flour
• 575ml water (500ml + 60ml + 15ml)

Method:

1. Shiitake Mushrooms:
• Rinse Shiitake mushrooms 3 times to wash off the dust and impurities. Then soak with part of the 500ml of water to rehydrate mushrooms. Reserve the rest of the 500ml of water for cooking later. It will take a while to wait for the mushrooms to bloom, so to save time, I usually do this the night before and pop it into the fridge and it will be ready to use the next day. 
• When the mushrooms have rehydrated, snip off the stems. If it's too big, cut into halves.
• Heat up 1 tablespoon of groundnut oil over MEDIUM LOW heat. Add garlic pips and saute until aromatic and golden brown on the outside.
• Add Shiitake mushrooms and saute until fragrant
• Add oyster sauce, soy sauce and Shao Xing wine. Stir to combine.
• Strain the mushroom stock (soaking liquid) into the pan and add the remainder of the 500ml of water. (Total liquid: 500ml)
• Add white pepper, rock sugar and dark soy sauce
• Cover and braise over MEDIUM LOW heat for about 15 minutes
• After 15 minutes, taste and flavor to your liking
• Cover again and braise for a while more until the gravy is slightly reduced
• Optional: I wanted more gravy, so I added another 1/4 cup (60ml) of water
• Taste again and flavor to your liking
• Add 1 tablespoon (15ml) of water to cornflour to make a cornstarch slurry
• Add the cornstarch slurry slowly until you get the consistency you like and the braised mushrooms are ready (I like the gravy thick and glossy). Set aside for later.
2. Broccoli:
• Cut the broccoli into little florets
• Bring 1000ml of water to boil over MEDIUM LOW heat
• Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of groundnut oil
• Blanch broccoli florets for about 45 seconds
• Remove and drain
3. To serve:
• Arrange broccoli in a circle around the serving platter
• Spoon the braised Shiitake mushrooms into the center

Notes:

• I prefer a little bit more gravy to go with my broccoli, so I have added another 1/4 cup (60ml) of water. That is optional. 
• I prefer my broccoli a little on the crunchy side, so blanching for 45 seconds is just nice for my taste. If you prefer it softer, add on another 10 to 20 seconds of blanching time.
• If you are a vegan or a vegetarian, replace oyster sauce with a mushroom flavored sauce