Broccoli Sesame Chicken

It was love at first sight when I first saw Ryen shared this dish in his vlog. Simple reason - these three are my favourite ingredients. As an amateur cook, Ryen recommended the viewers to check out the full recipe from Epicurious website http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/quick-sesame-chicken-with-broccoli

So I did and had attempted the dish as well. First bite, BOOM ... love at first sight turns to complete love. The sauce which is made of honey, soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, garlic, ginger and sesame oil is the soul to this stir fry dish. The measurement stated in the recipe is for reference and of course you may feel free to adjust the taste according to your own preference.

I enjoy the dish very much and had made it many times with little twists. Every time it is getting better and better. Here are some cooking tips I would like to share:-

• Be generous with sesame seeds as they adds the extra aroma and nutty flavor to the dish.
• Never skip the step to boil or steam the broccoli before hand. There are 2 possibilities of adding uncooked broccoli to the pan together with the sauce and chicken - (a) broccoli may under cook or (b) chicken pieces will turn dry and hard due to over stir fry in the wok or pan
• Instead of adding the minced garlic directly into the sauce, you can stir fry them with the cooked chicken pieces first. Once the garlic aroma is released, you can then pour in the sauce. This helps to create extra umami taste to the dish.

This quick and simple to make broccoli sesame chicken dish may beat the one served at your Chinese take-away joints. A well worth trying recipe!