Stir-fry the broccoli briefly with garlic, shallot and red chili, then let it cook until just tender with a small splash of water. Kecap asin gives the vegetable a savory, salty flavor; a little oyster sauce can add extra depth.
Tumis is a broad Indonesian cooking method in which ingredients are briefly fried in a hot pan. The name doesn’t refer to one fixed recipe: vegetables, herbs and seasonings vary from one household and dish to another. This broccoli version is therefore a practical tumis-style dish, not a claim to be a specific regional classic. The combination of garlic, shallot and red chili gives the vegetable an aromatic base, while kecap asin adds salt and umami without overpowering the broccoli.
Broccoli is readily available year-round. Choose a firm head with compact, dark green florets, and slice the peeled stem thinly too; it has a mild flavor and stays pleasantly firm. Cut the florets to roughly the same size so they cook in the same amount of time. In spring and fall, broccoli is often locally available from open fields, but for this dish, freshness is what matters most: limp florets will turn soft in the pan rather than crisp.
A hot wok or large frying pan helps the broccoli color quickly. Cook in small batches if your pan isn’t large enough: an overcrowded pan cools down, causing the vegetable to steam instead. Add the splash of water only after frying. Then, covered with a lid, the broccoli cooks briefly in the steam, which cooks the thicker stems through without the florets losing their bite. Remove the lid afterward if there’s still a lot of liquid in the pan.
Kecap asin is Indonesian salty soy sauce and is not the same as sweet, syrupy kecap manis. Don’t use the latter as a one-to-one substitute: it makes the dish sweeter and causes the broccoli to darken more quickly. If you can’t find kecap asin, use a salty soy sauce and start with a little less, as the salt content varies by brand. Oyster sauce is optional and adds a rounder, savory flavor; leave it out for a vegetarian version and don’t add another substitute.
Serve the broccoli right away, while the florets are still firm and coated in sauce. It goes well with rice and, for example, fried tofu, tempeh or another Indonesian-inspired main dish. Keep the rest of the meal a little less salty, since kecap asin already adds plenty of flavor. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator and reheat them briefly in a pan; heating them for too long will make the broccoli soft.
Cut the broccoli into small florets. Peel the stem and slice it thinly. Finely chop the shallot, mince the garlic and cut the red chili into thin rings. Remove the seeds if you want a milder chili.
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Fry the shallot and red chili for about 1 minute, until the shallot starts to turn translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
Add the broccoli to the pan and stir-fry for 2 minutes, so the florets and stem slices are coated with oil and start to color in places.
Pour in the water and cover the pan. Steam the broccoli for 2–3 minutes, until the stems are just tender. Check after 2 minutes; the exact time depends on the size of the pieces.
Remove the lid and add the kecap asin and, if using, the oyster sauce. Toss everything together and fry for another 30–60 seconds, until the sauce clings to the broccoli. Serve right away.
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