Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry

This is the takeout-style shrimp and broccoli you can make faster than a delivery app can confirm your order. The trick is cooking the two main ingredients separately in the same wok: the shrimp sear first and come out while they’re still a little underdone, then the broccoli gets a quick stir-fry and a two-minute steam under a lid. Everything goes back together at the end with garlic, ginger and a sauce that thickens in about a minute.

The sauce is a simple mix of broth, low-sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, a teaspoon of honey and cornstarch, with toasted sesame oil for aroma. It’s savory rather than sweet, and there’s just enough to coat everything and soak into the rice underneath.

Before you start

Stir-frying moves fast once the wok is hot, so set everything out within reach: the sauce whisked, the garlic and ginger prepped, the shrimp patted dry and the broccoli cut. Cooked rice should be ready too. Leftover rice reheated in the microwave or a pouch of precooked jasmine rice keeps the whole meal inside 15 minutes.

Ingredient notes

Shrimp. Large shrimp (26/30 or 31/35 per pound) stay juicy and are easy to toss. Buy them peeled and deveined with tails removed so they’re easy to eat with rice.

Broccoli. Cut the florets small, around 1 1/2 inches, and slice any thick stems thinly so they cook at the same rate. A bag of pre-cut florets saves a few minutes.

Oyster sauce. It brings the rich, savory depth you recognize from restaurant stir-fries. A vegetarian mushroom version works if you’re avoiding shellfish in the sauce.

Ginger and garlic. Fresh is noticeably better here than the jarred kind. A microplane grates ginger straight from the root, no peeling needed.

Cornstarch. Two teaspoons are enough to turn the broth into a glossy coating. Arrowroot works the same way.

Step by step

Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, cornstarch and sesame oil until there are no lumps. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and sprinkle with a small pinch of salt.

Sear the shrimp. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Spread the shrimp out in one layer and let them cook undisturbed for about a minute, until pink underneath. Flip, cook another 30 to 60 seconds and transfer to a plate. They should still be slightly translucent in the middle.

Cook the broccoli. Add the remaining oil and the broccoli to the wok and stir-fry for a minute so some florets pick up a little char. Add three tablespoons of water, cover and let it steam for two minutes. The broccoli should be bright green and just tender when pierced with a knife.

Bring it together. Remove the lid, push the broccoli to one side and add the garlic and ginger to the empty space with a drizzle of oil if the pan looks dry. Stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Return the shrimp with any juices, re-whisk the sauce and pour it in. Toss over high heat for a minute or two, until the sauce bubbles, turns glossy and clings to everything, and the shrimp are opaque all the way through.

Serve. Spoon over rice and finish with sliced green onion and sesame seeds.

Why the shrimp come out early

Shrimp need only about three minutes of total cooking. If they stayed in the wok while the broccoli steamed, they would be tough and rubbery by the time the sauce went in. Searing them briefly, setting them aside and letting the sauce finish them is what keeps them tender. The same approach works for any quick stir-fry with mixed ingredients, including the chicken and snap pea stir-fry.

Variations

• Add more vegetables: Sliced red bell pepper, snap peas or carrots can go in with the broccoli.
• Make it spicy: Add a teaspoon of chili garlic sauce to the sauce, or finish with chili crisp.
• Gluten-free: Use tamari and a gluten-free oyster sauce.
• Swap the protein: Thinly sliced chicken breast or cubed firm tofu both work; cook chicken through before setting it aside.
• Serve with noodles: Toss the stir-fry with cooked lo mein or rice noodles instead of serving it over rice.

Serving ideas

Jasmine rice is the classic base, but brown rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa all work. Shrimp and broccoli is light enough that a bowl of egg fried rice on the side turns it into a takeout-style feast, and if you want more ways to cook shrimp on a weeknight, browse our quick shrimp recipes or the garlic butter shrimp pasta.

Storing leftovers

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to two days. Reheat in a hot skillet for a minute or two, or microwave in short bursts, stirring in between, and stop as soon as it’s warm. Rice is best stored separately so it doesn’t absorb all of the sauce. This dish doesn’t freeze well, since thawed broccoli turns soft and watery.