This idea came to me when I really, really couldn’t be bothered to wait for an entire pot of water to come to a boil, so I put as little in the bottom of the pot to steam as I felt practically possible (about 1 inch [2.5 cm]). The next time, I couldn’t find the steamer basket anywhere and so I thought, well, how about just even less water in a frying pan with the lid on. Worked like a charm.
The basic technique is to prep the florets of the broccoli and then in a large frying pan (with a lid) heat ½ cup (120 ml) of water until you see small bubbles. Add the broccoli and a pinch of salt, cover with the lid, and leave on the heat for about 4 minutes. Check the broccoli—but not too often or you’ll let out all the steam (there isn’t that much water in there to start). The water should be all but evaporated and the broccoli bright green and tender.