Spicy Stir-Fried Broccoli

by | Jan 21, 2022 | Recipes, Sides

Our spicy broccoli is a tasty and easy recipe to serve as a side dish, to mix into a salad, or for meal prep. 

This ginger garlic spicy broccoli stir fry is quick to prepare and packed with Asian flavors thanks to the soy sauce and sesame oil. The spice comes from crushed red pepper flakes so you can always adjust the amount used to your preferred level of heat. We love it spicy! If you’ve been steaming broccoli or skipping the spices, this flavorful, sauteed broccoli with soy sauce will win you over. 

Stir-frying is an easy cooking method that gives veggies a nice texture and tons of flavor, depending on what oil you use in your stir fry. If you have an airfryer, that would also work great for this recipe!

What You’ll Need to Make This Asian Broccoli

  • Broccoli florets
  • Fresh garlic
  • Rice wine vinegar
  • Water
  • Low sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • Sugar
  • Avocado oil
  • Sesame oil
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • Toasted pine nuts

How to Make Our Spicy Broccoli

Begin by washing and cutting your broccoli into florets. In a small bowl, mix together rice wine vinegar and water. If you don’t have rice wine vinegar, feel free to swap in white wine vinegar. In another small bowl, combine the soy sauce and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. 

Heat your large, non-stick skillet over medium-heat with both the avocado oil and sesame oil. Add your minced garlic and chili flakes to the skillet and saute for about 15 seconds. Turn up the heat to high and add in your broccoli. Mix well in the skillet and then add in the vinegar and water mixture. 

Cover the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes or until the broccoli is cooked to your preferred texture. Finally, pour in the soy sauce mixture and top with pine nuts. Stir fry for another minute to toast the pine nuts. Enjoy!

Which Oil to Use for Stir Fries

Choosing the right oil for cooking can be confusing because there is so much information out there. Cooking with oils is an important component of the Mediterranean diet because the fat content helps your body absorb nutrients, increases satiation, and helps us stay full longer. So keep adding healthy fats in moderation to your salads and stir fries!

Which oils do we recommend? We chose avocado oil for this recipe because it’s full of healthy fats and it has a high smoke point. Avocado oil is high in monounsaturated fats which are heart healthy, support a balanced lipid profile and help regulate blood sugar levels. If you don’t have avocado oil, olive oil is a great replacement with many of the same health benefits.

We included sesame oil in this spicy asian-style broccoli to complement the soy sauce and create that nutty, umami flavor. Sesame oil is another great oil to cook with because it’s high in immune-boosting antioxidants. If you’re bored of steamed broccoli, this spicy stir fried broccoli will give you that crispy outside with the perfect bite. 

Fully Mediterranean logo
Spicy Broccoli
This spicy broccoli recipe is simple to make, can be adjusted for a gluten-free diet, and is a nice change to steamed or roasted broccoli!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ingredients
 

  • 1 bunch of broccoli cut into florets
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • teaspoons avocado oil
  • teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup pine nuts toasted

Instructions
 

  • Cut the broccoli into florets and set aside.
  • Mix the rice wine vinegar and the water together in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Mix the soy sauce and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
  • Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the oils. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and and stir-fry until fragrant about 15 seconds.
  • Turn the heat to high and add the broccoli. Stir-fry. Add the rice wine vinegar and water mixture and combine. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes.
  • Add the soy sauce mixture and toss. Add the pine nuts and stir-fry for a few seconds to combine the ingredients.
  • Enjoy!
Tried and loved this recipe?Tag us @fullymediterranean!

This spicy broccoli recipe is simple to make, can be adjusted for a gluten-free diet, and is a nice change to steamed or roasted broccoli!

Looking for ways to enjoy this spicy broccoli? Try it in one of our salad recipes or as a side for your main meal.

More Easy Asian Side Dishes

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