A top chef has shared a simple cooking trick and three everyday ingredients that can transform the flavour of broccoli, which often tastes bland, especially when overcooked.
Mike Reid, who regularly shares tips and recipes on his YouTube channel, says boiling vegetables isn't the best way to cook them. If boiling is your preferred method, he recommends using well-salted water and cooking them briefly until just tender.
Blanching and Charring Method
A better approach, according to Reid, is blanching the broccoli for a minute or two before charring it in a very hot pan with garlic, chilli and lemon. Blanching involves briefly boiling food in water before plunging it into an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Charring means cooking over very high heat until the outside develops dark brown or blackened patches. With broccoli, charring the edges while keeping the stems tender can create a delicious smoky, nutty flavour.
Chef's Go-To Ingredients
Reid added: "Steaming or roasting in general, both keep more flavour than boiling, because it doesn't wash into the water." He also named chilli, garlic and onion as three ingredients that can make a difference to almost any meal.
"Those are the three I couldn't cook without. Yeah, probably onion is my absolute [go-to], it goes in everything almost. Onion and garlic, I couldn't survive without it," he said.
Mary Berry's Alternative Tip
Mary Berry has previously shared her own tip for more flavoursome broccoli. In her Mary Berry Everyday cookbook, she suggested stir-frying broccoli in olive oil, explaining that the method considerably enhances its flavour.
"Making a change from boiled vegetables, this is quick to do and very tasty. Cooked like this, the broccoli and cauliflower retain a nice crunch too," she wrote.
Reid and Jeremy Pang have teamed up to host a new podcast, The Two Hungry Chefs – The A-Z of Food, celebrating their shared passion for cooking. Reid said: "This series is a real celebration of everything we love about food. We've got brilliant guests, incredible ingredients and unexpected challenges, all exploring what makes food today so exciting. But ultimately, this is a series for everybody, not just chefs or the hospitality world."
"We want people who enjoy our shows to find it entertaining and accessible, pick up a few tricks along the way and, most importantly, feel inspired to be inventive, get into their own kitchens and give things a go." The podcast is available on podcast platforms and YouTube.
