Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) Two Ways
Learn to cook Chinese broccoli in two ways: blanched and seasoned with oyster sauce or stir-fried with ginger and garlic. Both are simple, delicious and healthy.
Servings: 2 servings for each version
Ingredients
For the blanched version
- 250 g Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan) about 9oz (weight after trimming)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon neutral cooking oil divided
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1½ tablespoon oyster sauce see note 1 & 2
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce see note 2
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon water
For the stir-fried version
- 250 g Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan) about 9oz (weight after trimming)
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil see note 3
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the blanched version
- Wash Chinese broccoli thoroughly. Trim off the hard ends of the stems, then peel their skin. Discard any yellowish leaves.
- Pour plenty of water into a pot/wok. Add salt and 1 teaspoon of oil. Bring it to a full boil. Put in the Chinese broccoli. Press down to fully immerse. Cover with a lid. Leave to blanch for 1 minute or so until the stem part is cooked but remains crunchy.
- While waiting for the vegetable to cook, prepare the sauce. Start by sizzling garlic in the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil. Pour in the mixture of oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and water. Simmer over low heat until the desired consistency appears (thick but still runny).
- On a plate, line and lay up the cooked Chinese Broccoli neatly (just like what dim sum restaurants do). Pour the sauce over and serve immediately with steamed rice, along with other savoury dishes.
For the stir-fried version
- Wash Chinese broccoli thoroughly. Trim off the hard ends of the stems. Discard any yellowish leaves. Slice diagonally into small pieces.
- Warm up the wok over medium-high heat until smoking hot. Pour in oil. Add ginger and garlic to sizzle until fragrant (do not burn).
- Put in the Chinese broccoli. Toss well to evenly coat it with the oil. Add Shaoxing rice wine. Cover with a lid immediately and leave to steam for about 1 minute.
- Remove the lid. Season with salt and sugar. Toss and stir for a further 30 seconds or so. Taste to check the doneness. The stem part should be cooked but still crunchy to bite.
Video
Notes
1. To make this dish vegan friendly, you may replace regular oyster sauce with Mushroom Vegetarian Stir-fry Sauce (素食蚝油).
2. For a gluten-free diet, you may use gluten-free oyster sauce and gluten-free soy sauce (or tamari).
3. Lard or chicken fat, instead of plant-based cooking oil, is often used in Chinese restaurants for this stir-fried dish. Please feel free to substitute if you wish.
