Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)

Blanched with Oyster Sauce

I saw this vegetables at the Asian store.  They looked so green and appetizing but I never had them before so I took a chance and bought a few to try them out. 

Chinese broccoli or gai lan is a member of the Brassicaceae family, same as the regular broccoli, mustard, cabbage, bok choy, collard, kale, etc. It is a little bitter but has a  very good texture and flavor especially with a good savory sauce such as oyster sauce.  I was very pleased with them because they taste very good. They taste like the regular broccoli except they don’t have the flowerheads. They are mostly stems and leaves.

First, you have to wash them in a pan of water making sure the dirt on the leaves are washed off.  Do this twice then rinse them in running water. 

Cut an inch off the bottom of the stalk if they are tough.  Cut again where the leaves start.  Separate the leaves from the stalk.  Using a knife or a parer, peel and pull the tough skin from the stalk starting from the end the same way you do with regular broccoli stems.  Then cut them into 1 1/2 inch pieces and cut the fat stalks again vertically in half.  Cut the greens in shorter pieces if desired. Separate the stalks from the leaves as the stalks take longer to cook.  You may also leave them whole but peel off the tough skin on the stalks.

Boil enough water to submerge the vegetables.  Add a little salt in the water and a little vegetable oil.  Drop in the stalks first and boil for about a minute until tender crisp then add the leaves and boil again until the leaves turn bright green.  Remove from the pot and drain. Do not overcook.

There were three or four stalks of Chinese broccoli in the bundle so the sauce below is enough for them.

Prepare the sauce using:

• 2 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
• 2 TBSP. Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Shouhsing rice wine (optional)
• 1 tsp. sugar or aji mirin
• Dash of ground white pepper (black pepper will do)
• ½ tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 tsp. water
• Vegetable oil

Heat 1 TBSP oil in a small skillet.  Saute the garlic until fragrant then add the rest of the ingredients.  Add the cornstarch mixture last and cook until it thickens. This will only take a very short time.  Add the vegetables back and stir until heated though.  Plate them. 

You can also arrange the whole Chinese broccoli on the plate and drizzle the sauce over them. 

I did not use ginger in it but you can if you like.

Eat them as a side dish or with plain white rice. Make some Chinese fried rice to go with it if you are ambitious as it is also good with it. That can be a whole meal.