Broccoli in Hoisin Sauce

This Sunday, I had a potluck brunch before church.  Before moving to the DC area, I hardly ever ate brunch.  Now, I eat brunch at least once a month.

It was a really good brunch.  Someone made tender cinnamon rolls.  The hostess made a blueberry clafoutis.  It was fantastic.  Clafoutis are a baked french desert.  The batter is like flan.  They are traditionally made with cherries.  She inspired me to make my own.  Whenever I try something tasty, I wonder if I can recreate it at home.

This broccoli dish is made with hoisin sauce.  Hoisin Sauce is a thick, brown sauce that is salty and sweet.  It is often used as a glaze or dipping sauce.  It contains soy beans, red chilies, and garlic.  It often contains vinegar, Chinese five spice, and sugar.

Hoisin sauce doesn't contain any fish ingredients.  It is labeled plum sauce in the United Kingdom, but it doesn't contain plums.  

Hoisin sauce is also used in Vietnamese cooking.  It is used as a condiment for pho and as a dipping sauce for spring rolls.

The recipe came from Taste of Home.  I added corn starch and water to thicken the sauce.  I also doubled the recipe.  The ingredients are 1 pound cooked broccoli, 3 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 4 tablespoons water, 4 1/2 teaspoons hoisin sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.

I added the oil to a warm wok.  

I stir fried the garlic, ginger, and brocolli in the oil for three minutes.

I added two tablespoons of the water, hoisin sauce, and salt.  

I realized the sauce was too loose to I made a cornstarch slurry with a tablespoon of corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water.  I poured the slurry into the work and continued to stir fry.

I stir fried the broccoli and sauce for a few minutes.  The sauce had thickened nicely at this point.

I served this broccoli over rice.  It would made a nice side dish for dumplings or anything Chinese main dish.

The sauce was toothsome.  The flavors were sweet and salty.  There was a caramelized taste.  

 The broccoli was tender and bright.  I wish I had cooked the broccoli a little less, but I wanted the sauce to be thicker.  If I make this again, I'll add the cornstarch slurry as soon as I add the hoisin sauce.

The dish had a fragrant, appetizing smell.

 It was satisfying, nourishing, and pleasurable.

This is a great recipe to have on hand when you need a Asian side dish.