Garlic Broccoli & Lotus Root 蒜蓉西蓝花莲藕

Most people think frozen broccoli means grey, soggy broccoli. This dish proves otherwise. The secret is the oil in the blanching water,  a Chinese home cook technique that seals the chlorophyll inside the florets and keeps the color brilliant emerald green through the entire freeze and steam cycle.

Paired with lotus root — which holds its crunch perfectly through freezing — and the Garlic Dipping Sauce spooned in before freezing, this is the most visual dish in the collection. Open the steamer and the color alone makes people want to eat it.

The Garlic Dipping Sauce recipe is at the hub post. [link to hub post]

Per container — double or triple for family meal prep.

• 1½ cups (about 150g) broccoli florets, cut into similar-sized pieces

• 1½ cups (about 200g) lotus root, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick — fresh or pre-frozen from Asian grocery

• 2 tablespoons Garlic Dipping Sauce  

For the blanching water:

• 1 teaspoon neutral oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

 1.  Bring a large pot of water to a full rolling boil. Add the neutral oil and salt.

2.  Blanch the lotus root first: add slices and blanch 1 to 2 minutes until just barely tender but still firm. Transfer to ice water immediately. Drain well.

3.  Blanch the broccoli last — always last: add florets and blanch exactly 45 seconds. No longer. Transfer to ice water immediately. Drain and shake dry — do not pat, as patting bruises the florets and breaks the color seal.

4.  Arrange in container: lotus root slices on the bottom, broccoli florets on top with the green side facing up.

5.  Spoon the Garlic Dipping Sauce evenly over the top. Seal and freeze.

Steam: 

1.  Remove from freezer.  Steam directly from frozen.

2.  Start checking at 15 minutes. Ready when broccoli is heated through but still bright emerald green, and lotus root is hot all the way through.

Fresh made, not frozen: start checking at 5 to 8 minutes. Even faster since the vegetables were already blanched.