**I’m making a stir-fry and the recipe calls for broccolini. I only occasionally see this in the supermarket, and it’s normally a lot more expensive than broccoli.
**
On this occasion, can I just use broccoli?
You could get away with using broccoli as a substitute, you’ll just be altering the flavour and texture of your stir-fry slightly.
It’ll all come down to the way you prepare the broccoli. Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and gai-lan (Chinese broccoli), and, in actual fact, is a copyrighted brand name.
Instead of the thick stalks and large head of broccoli, broccolini is made of slender stalks with small florets and has a sweeter, tender stalk.
Slice your broccoli in smaller pieces to get closer to the appearance of broccolini. Another alternative you could try is rapini, also known as broccoli rabe, which is very similar to broccolini, but has a nuttier, more bitter taste.
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