Sesame Broccoli (Korean Broccoli Side Dish)

If you love Korean cuisine, you need to try this Korean Broccoli Side Dish! The tender-crisp broccoli is lightly dressed and versatile enough to pair with any main dish. It’s an easy side dish whether you use raw broccoli or frozen broccoli – full instructions below!

Sesame broccoli is such an easy recipe, and it’s a great way to experiment with Korean cuisine at home in a low-stakes, high-reward kind of way. Korean restaurants are well known for serving a variety of banchan​, or small shared side dishes. But this one is super simple to recreate at home in mere minutes!

Sesame Broccoli Ingredients

• Broccoli
• Toasted sesame oil
• Sesame seeds
• Garlic
• Low-sodium soy sauce
• Sugar
• Gochugaru, or Korean red pepper flakes. This is optional (but recommended) as a garnish and to add a subtle smoky, but minimally spicy, flavor.

(full ingredient list and quantities in the recipe card below)

Many of these same ingredients are used over and over for Korean recipes. If you plan to cook Korean recipes often, it’s worth stocking up on some pantry essentials. Check out my list of the top 10 items you need to cook Korean food at home. 

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: A serving of broccoli is one cup. But this is a vegetable. So serving sizes are more like suggestions, considering most of us aren’t eating enough of them. In Korean cuisine, it’s assumed these small side dishes will be eaten with other items at the table, so don’t worry too much about measuring exact amounts.

Swaps and Substitutions

This Korean broccoli banchan recipe is very flexible and forgiving. After you make it once, you can start swapping or adding ingredients to make it your own. Here are some suggestions:

• The splash of soy sauce can be replaced with a pinch of salt. However, if you’re aiming for a lower-sodium version, try adding MSG or a salt-free seasoning instead. 
• For a gluten-free version, swap the soy sauce for tamari GF soy sauce.
• If you like a tangy flavor, add a small amount of rice vinegar. Start with 1-2 teaspoons and adjust as needed.
• Mix in thinly sliced green onions or extra garlic.
• Swap the broccoli for Chinese broccoli (gai lan), bok choy, or even brocolini or broccoli rabe (rapini).

Note that broccoli stalks are much denser than the top sections, so they take longer to cook. However, I’m a big fan of including broccoli stems and stalks for less waste in the kitchen. 

If you plan to try this version, blanch the stalks separately from the florets. Add a couple of minutes for blanching and account for that in your total prep and cooking time.

How to Make Korean-Style Broccoli Side Dish

Unlike roasting for stir-frying, the goal is not to get charred, crispy edges on the broccoli. Instead, the broccoli is quickly blanched in boiling water before being shocked and chilled in an ice bath. The cold water halts the cooking process so the broccoli stays bright green without overcooking to a soggy, mushy texture.

Once it’s drained and patted dry, it’s simply a matter of tossing the cooked broccoli with the rest of the ingredients. You can easily go from start to finish in less than 15 minutes, or however long it takes to boil water!

How to Blanch Broccoli

If you haven’t used this cooking method before, follow these step-by-step instructions:

1. Set a large pot of water on the stovetop. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. While you wait for the water to boil, trim the broccoli florets to remove any leaves or long stalks.
3. Once the water is boiling, carefully drop in the broccoli florets. Set a timer for 2 1/2 minutes and use that time to prepare an ice bath. Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and water, then set it near the stove for easy access.
4. When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon or strainer to transfer the broccoli to the ice bath. Swirl it around to evenly chill the broccoli, then drain the water and ice cubes. 

Remove as much excess water as you can with a clean linen or paper towel. Remember, water and oil don’t mix. So you want to start with reasonably dry broccoli before you add the sesame oil. 

Add the oil, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, and sesame seeds. Toss together until the broccoli is evenly coated.

That’s it! You can serve this Korean broccoli side dish at room temperature or slightly chilled. Pair it with kimchi, Oi Muchim (Korean Cucumber Salad), or other Korean banchan along with your main dish.

Sesame Broccoli with Frozen Broccoli

Although I prefer the texture of Sesame Broccoli made with fresh broccoli, you can also use frozen broccoli and get good results. It will be a little softer, but overall, still a great side dish! 

You have two options with frozen broccoli:

1. Steam the broccoli in the bag according to the package directions. Once steamed, strain the broccoli to remove excess water.
2. Place the broccoli in a large colander. Rinse under warm water to thaw, then let it sit and drain until fully thawed. Pat dry to remove excess water. 

For either option, follow the same steps for seasoning and serving the sesame broccoli.

Storage and Meal Prep Tips

Traditionally, banchan recipes like this sesame broccoli are prepped in advance. They’re stashed in the fridge to eat throughout the week, and it’s my favorite way to instantly add a serving of veggies or a contrasting flavor and texture to my meal.

Store your extra sesame broccoli in an airtight container. It will hold for about 4-5 days, and doesn’t need reheating.

However, the broccoli florets will inevitably hold onto more water than you think from the blanching or steaming process. When I serve this broccoli banchan again, I like to drain the liquid and add a new drizzle of sesame oil to refresh the flavor.

I hope you enjoy this easy Korean broccoli side dish recipe!

Let me know what you think with a rating or comment below. As always, thanks for stopping by the Street Smart Nutrition blog. Cheers to more fearlessly nourishing meals!