Why do we need to blanch broccoli before we stir-fry it? What is the effect of blanching broccoli?

We all know that broccoli is a common green vegetable. It is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. Eating it in moderation is good for the body. Many people like to eat broccoli. When stir-frying broccoli, you usually need to blanch it first. So what is the effect of blanching broccoli? Let's take a closer look!

Why blanch broccoli before cooking

1. Make broccoli greener

If the broccoli is not blanched, you can't see how much broccoli is unless you chop it up and mix it with eggs and a little meat stuffing. In addition to keeping the emerald green color, blanching the broccoli before stir-frying can make the broccoli greener. Why did I just say that when making noodles, broccoli can keep its green color without blanching? First of all, the amount of broccoli put in that case is very small. Another reason is that after the broccoli is cooked, it directly contacts ingredients such as eggs and flour, and does not directly contact the cooking oil, so the color may still keep a slightly green taste. But if it is stir-fried, the broccoli will directly contact the high-temperature cooking oil. In fact, we can see that if the broccoli is not blanched, the color will be dark green, and this is also a color we often encounter, so in order to maintain the color, we need to blanch it in advance.

2. Ensure freshness

Broccoli will be fresher if it is blanched. If it is eaten directly without blanching, it will be older, softer and harder to chew. However, if the broccoli is blanched before eating, it will not only be emerald green but also crisper when chewed, which can effectively make the broccoli fresher. If you want to keep the broccoli crisp, you can add two drops of cooking oil when blanching the broccoli. The taste will be very crisp and refreshing. The crisp taste after blanching is very different from that without blanching. It is better to blanch it.

3. Remove dust from vegetables

As we all know, broccoli is quite dense. If we simply wash it and then fry it, we can't remove the dust inside. So after blanching, we can remove some of the dust inside the broccoli, so that we can eat more delicious broccoli, and the broccoli cooked in this way will taste better.

4. Prevent uneven cooking

If you put the broccoli in the pan and stir-fry it directly, the root part of the broccoli is relatively hard and thick, so it will definitely take longer to cook. The cauliflower part of the broccoli will be easier to cook because it is a separate floret part of the broccoli. In this way, it is easier to cook the floret part first when we put it in the pan, while the root part will be slower. If we don't blanch it, the longer we wait to stir-fry, the easier it will be for the floret part to burn, while the root part will slowly cook, and the taste and effect will be much worse.

What is the effect of blanching broccoli

Easier to fry, saving time

Broccoli is a plant with small buds, which grow one by one, unevenly distributed, and at different maturity levels. If we fry it directly, it is very likely that the outside will be burnt and the inside will not be cooked. However, blanching it first can ensure that the broccoli is at the same maturity level, and it will not be raw when eaten.

Preserve nutrients

We all know that broccoli has a high content of vitamin C, but vitamin C will be lost during a long heating process. If we fry it directly, it will take a long time and the nutrients will be lost. If we blanch it first and then fry it, we can shorten the frying time and preserve most of the nutrients.

Sterilization

Because broccoli is a small twig plant composed of many small inflorescences, many small insects will enter it during the growing process. This is why some people will have diarrhea or inexplicable stomach pain after eating raw stir-fried broccoli.

Removal of oxalic acid

This has to do with the properties of broccoli itself. Broccoli is a plant belonging to the cruciferous family and has a high oxalic acid content. If we eat too much broccoli without blanching, it is very likely to react with mineral-rich foods to produce ingredients that are difficult to digest. Blanching can remove most of the oxalic acid.

What should you pay attention to when blanching broccoli?

1. When blanching broccoli, be sure to pay attention to the time control. The time should not be too long. If it is too long, it will affect the taste and lose a lot of nutrients. Try to control the blanching time to about 2 minutes.

2. When blanching, do not put the vegetables into the pot with cold water. Wait until the water boils before putting them into the pot.

3. When blanching, it is best to add a little salt first and then add the broccoli. This will not only preserve the broccoli's bright green color, but also retain the broccoli's nutrition.

4. After blanching the broccoli, remember to rinse it with cold water, because some insect eggs and other things may still be attached to the broccoli after blanching, so rinsing with cold water is necessary. And after rinsing with cold water, the taste will be crisper and the color will not turn yellow.

5. Before blanching, soak the broccoli in cold water with salt for 10 minutes, because the pesticides and insect eggs in the broccoli require multiple steps to be cleaned out.