Broccolini
Broccolini is a slender hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli (gai lan), with long tender stems, small florets, and a mild, slightly sweet flavor milder than regular broccoli.
How to buy
Look for firm, deep green stalks with tightly closed, compact florets and no yellowing. The stems should snap crisply, not bend limply, and there should be no sliminess or strong odor at the cut ends.
How to store
Keep unwashed in a perforated bag in the crisper drawer; it keeps well for about 4-5 days. It's more delicate than full-size broccoli, so it's best used within the first few days for the crispest texture.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Milder and sweeter than standard broccoli, with less of broccoli's sulfurous bite and a slightly peppery, mustardy note carried over from its gai lan parentage. The stems are tender enough to eat whole, unlike broccoli's tougher stalk.
- Texture
- Crisp-tender when quickly cooked, with stems thin enough to cook through at the same rate as the florets -- unlike broccoli, there's no need to peel or separately cook the stem.
- Aroma
- A mild, green, faintly peppery smell, noticeably less sulfurous than regular broccoli when cooked.
How to prepare
- Sautéed with garlic and chile — Quickly cooked in a hot pan with oil, garlic, and chile flake until just tender.
- Roasted — Tossed with oil and roasted at high heat until the edges crisp and caramelize.
- Blanched — Briefly boiled and shocked in ice water to set a bright green color before finishing another way.
- Stir-fried — Cut into shorter lengths and stir-fried quickly over high heat, often with a savory sauce.
- Grilled — Charred directly over flame until lightly blistered and tender.
Classic dishes
American
- Roasted broccolini with parmesan and lemon — Oven-roasted until crisp-edged, then finished with lemon zest and shaved parmesan.
- Broccolini as a steakhouse side — A common modern steakhouse vegetable side, usually charred or roasted simply.
- Broccolini salad with almonds — Blanched broccolini tossed cold with toasted almonds and a light vinaigrette.
- Broccolini breakfast hash topping — Sautéed broccolini pieces folded into a potato and egg hash for a modern brunch dish.
Italian
- Sautéed broccolini with garlic and chile flakes — A simple Italian-American preparation echoing the classic treatment of broccoli rabe.
- Broccolini orecchiette — Pasta tossed with sautéed broccolini, garlic, anchovy, and chile in the style of broccoli rabe pasta.
- Broccolini frittata — A baked egg dish studded with sautéed broccolini pieces.
Chinese
- Broccolini with oyster sauce — A Cantonese-style preparation where blanched broccolini is drizzled with savory oyster sauce, following the same method used for gai lan.
- Broccolini stir-fried with ginger and soy — Quickly stir-fried with ginger, garlic, and a light soy-based sauce.
- Broccolini with XO sauce — Blanched broccolini tossed with the intensely savory dried-seafood condiment XO sauce.
- Broccolini with black bean sauce — Stir-fried broccolini finished with a pungent fermented black bean sauce.
Japanese
- Broccolini with sesame dressing — Blanched broccolini tossed in a nutty sesame dressing similar to goma-ae.
- Broccolini tempura — Battered and deep-fried until light and crisp, served as part of a tempura platter.
Indian
- Broccolini curry — Broccolini added to a spiced curry base as a quick-cooking, crisp vegetable component.
Mediterranean
- Grilled broccolini with balsamic — Charred broccolini drizzled with balsamic reduction and olive oil.
Substitutions
- Asparagus — A reasonable stand-in for roasting or grilling, though less peppery and with a cleaner, more vegetal flavor.