If you’re throwing away your broccoli stems, know that there is a better way! This stir-fried broccoli stem recipe will make you and/or your family actually enjoy eating them. In fact, they may even wonder what new vegetable you made for dinner!
Be sure to check out the video to see how the dish is made.
The Broccoli Stem Dilemma
We’ve all been there. We buy a bunch of broccoli—a weekly veggie staple for many families—and it comes with thick long stems.
Either we cut them off and toss them in the garbage—not without some guilt—or we try to slice and add them to our recipe.
If you’re in the latter camp, you likely end up with big fibrous coins of broccoli stem marring an otherwise well-composed dish. And later, you watch as family members (or let’s be honest, yourself) pick them out, dooming them to the garbage can anyway.
With the rising cost of groceries these days, it can be even more painful to waste those stalks. If you’re buying broccoli by the pound, they can be half the price you’re paying for the bunch!
Well this madness ends today! I’m here to tell you to think of those broccoli stems or stalks as a separate vegetable. Cut off the crowns to use the florets in one way (beef and broccoli or walnut shrimp, anyone?), and then use the stems in an entirely different recipe.
Now, when you’re at the grocery store buying a couple bunches of broccoli, you know you’re going to get two meals out of them!
The key is preparing them correctly and then transforming them by slicing, julienning, shredding, or dicing. Broccoli stalks can be rather tough, but like asparagus, all they need are a trim and a quick once over with a vegetable peeler or paring knife.
Video: See how I made it!
The Broccoli Stem Solution!
When it comes to figuring out what to do with broccoli stems, I like to think about other vegetables that have a similar texture, like celtuce or bamboo shoots.
If, for instance, a recipe calls for julienned bamboo shoots (like our Beef with Bamboo Shoots & Peppers), I might just replace them with julienned broccoli stems! If you can’t find bamboo shoots where you live, they’re actually a great substitute in general. Use them in Hot and Sour Soup, Thai Red Curry Chicken, or our Spicy Chicken Stir-fry.
Likewise, in our celtuce stir-fry, broccoli stems can easily stand in for the celtuce once peeled, trimmed, and cut into thin rectangular pieces.
Diced, they can replace peas in a dish like our Cantonese Beef Rice Bowls, or simply be added to dishes with other diced vegetables, like a fried rice, Eight Treasures Stir-fry (my mom’s version—or my dad’s version in our cookbook), Braised Ground Pork with Potatoes, or Chicken Stew.
A Go-To Way to Use Broccoli Stems
In this recipe, I’m making a simple stir-fry with broccoli stems, bamboo shoots, and chicken. The broccoli stems and bamboo shoots have very similar texture and complimentary flavors.
You don’t need a lot of meat for this recipe (just 8 ounces), and the vegetables really shine. This makes the dish both a healthy and more affordable way to put dinner on the table.
Cut the meat into julienned strips—similar in size and shape to the vegetables—so the textures all complement each other. If your meat was frozen, don’t thaw it all the way before cutting it. Partially thawed/frozen meat is much easier to slice with precision.
With a sauce that hits all the right comforting notes over a bowl of steamed rice, you’ll be wondering why you ever threw away your broccoli stems in the first place.
Fast Facts
Yes! While I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, this recipe is very flexible. You could also use chicken breast, pork shoulder, butt, country ribs, or loin, or beef flank steak, tri-tip, flatiron steak, sirloin, or chuck.
While I like the flavor and slight textural difference that bamboo shoots offer in addition to the broccoli stems, you could make this dish entirely with broccoli stems, or substitute asparagus or julienned carrots. Spicy peppers would also be a good alternative!
The velveting step is written into the recipe! It’s when you add the cornstarch, oil, water, and oyster sauce to marinate. This helps create a protective barrier on the outside of the meat to keep it juicy and moist when it hits the hot pan later. Read more about Velveting Chicken.
Broccoli Stem Recipe Instructions!
Thinly slice the meat against the grain, and then cut those slices lengthwise into thin strips. (This is easier to do when the meat is partially frozen.) Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the water, cornstarch, oil, and oyster sauce. Mix well, and set aside to marinate at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Trim about ½ inch from the ends of your broccoli stems. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the fibrous outer layer from each stem.
Slice the stems lengthwise, and fan out the slices straight across like you’re spreading a deck of cards.
Then using a rocking back and forth motion, run your knife through to julienne the slices.
Prepare the sauce by combining the chicken stock, cornstarch, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce, sugar, and salt.
Place your wok over high heat until it’s just starting to smoke. Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil, and tilt the wok to spread it evenly around the perimeter. Add the marinated meat in 1 layer, and let it sear for 30 to 40 seconds without moving, then stir-fry for another 30 to 40 seconds, until the meat is about 75% cooked. Remove from the wok, and set aside.
Let the empty wok heat again over high heat, and add the remaining tablespoon of oil, along with the garlic, broccoli stems, and bamboo shoots.
Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the Shaoxing wine to deglaze the wok.
Add the meat back to the wok, along with any juices.
Stir up the sauce mixture to ensure that the cornstarch is well-incorporated, and add it to the wok. Stir-fry over high heat for another minute, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
Serve with steamed rice.
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Recipe
Broccoli Stem Stir-fry
Ingredients
For the meat & marinade
- 8 ounces boneless beef, chicken, or pork (partially frozen/thawed and julienned)
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
For the rest of the dish:
- 6 broccoli stems (from two bunches broccoli)
- 1/3 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil)
- 2 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 5 ounces canned julienned bamboo shoots (you get 5 ounces/140g drained from an 8-ounce/225g can or fresh bamboo shoots)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Instructions
- Thinly slice the meat against the grain, and then cut those slices lengthwise into thin strips. (This is easier to do when the meat is partially frozen.) Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the water, cornstarch, oil, and oyster sauce. Mix well, and set aside to marinate at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the dish.
- Trim about ½ inch from the ends of your broccoli stems. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the fibrous outer layer from each stem. Slice the stems lengthwise, and fan out the slices straight across like you’re spreading a deck of cards. Then using a rocking back and forth motion, run your knife through to julienne the slices.
- Prepare the sauce by combining the chicken stock, cornstarch, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce, sugar, and salt.
- Place your wok over high heat until it’s just starting to smoke. Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil, and tilt the wok to spread it evenly around the perimeter. Add the marinated meat in 1 layer, and let it sear for 30 to 40 seconds without moving, then stir-fry for another 30 to 40 seconds, until the meat is about 75% cooked. Remove from the wok, and set aside.
- Let the empty wok heat again over high heat, and add the remaining tablespoon of oil, along with the garlic, broccoli stems, and bamboo shoots. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the Shaoxing wine to deglaze the wok.
- Add the meat back to the wok, along with any juices. Stir up the sauce mixture to ensure that the cornstarch is well-incorporated, and add it to the wok. Stir-fry over high heat for another minute, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Serve with steamed rice.
