Steamed broccoli in garlic sauce with steamed rice

Wash and drain the rice a few times to remove the surface starch.

Add 1.75 times the rice volume of plain water, no salt. Bring to a boil uncovered on high until the surface is pockmarked and the rice peeks above the water.

Cover, lower the heat and steam about 15 minutes, or until dinner is ready.

Peel the garlic and ginger. Slice the ginger across its fibres, then chop the garlic, ginger and half a chili fine. Set aside.

Put an inch of water in the pan with a steamer basket, cover and bring to a boil on high.

Stand the broccoli crown upside down and cut off florets; trim the top into three or four bites, slice the stem if using, and halve or third the largest pieces.

Steam the broccoli covered for three minutes, before it is fork tender.

Lift out the basket and plunge the broccoli into a bowl of ice water, stirring until every piece is cool. It holds in the water for hours.

Empty the pan, set over medium heat with a film of oil, and fry the garlic, chili and ginger for about a minute, until soft and starting to go golden.

Before it burns, add the broccoli water, onion powder, soy sauce, mustard and marmite.

Add the white sugar, molasses, toasted sesame oil and ground pepper.

Mix cornstarch with just enough cool water to disperse it into a slurry.

With the sauce simmering, stir with one hand and drizzle in the slurry with the other until thick; hold the rest in reserve. Lower the heat so it does not stick and burn.

Taste and season with MSG or salt until very strong and salty; add more mustard or vinegar for acid, or more sugar, as needed.

Wring the water out of the broccoli and add it to the sauce to warm through and coat; thin with a splash of water if too thick.

Serve over the rice, spooning excess sauce over the rice, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.