One of my favorite vegetables is gai lan aka Chinese broccoli.
As a Chinese person it’s essentially an everyday vegetable. Most home style Chinese meals consist of two or three dishes served with rice and almost always one of the vegetables dishes will inevitably be gai lan.
It’s most often stir fried with garlic or quickly blanched and served with oyster sauce. Like broccoli it’s incredibly versatile and hearty – you can basically substitute it anywhere you have broccoli or kale.
What is Chinese broccoli
Gai lan, kai lan, Chinese broccoli, or Chinese kale, is a leafy green vegetable with thickish stems and small florets. It belongs to the cabbage group and tastes kind of like broccoli.
If you’ve had broccolini, it’s very similar because broccolini is a hybrid between broccoli and gai lan. Gai lan is truly one of the most popular Chinese vegetable dishes.
How to choose gai lan
There are two types of gai lan: regular and baby. Regular gai lan is larger, older, and a bit more tough. Baby gai lan is more tender and young. Sometimes you’ll see baby gai lan called mini gai lan or gai lan junior. I almost always choose to buy baby gai lan when I see it because it tends to be more tender and tasty than regular.
Gai lan doesn’t have a season as it’s available all year round, which is probably why it’s so popular. Gai lan is available at all Asian grocery stores and sometimes even at regular ones. When picking out bunches of gai lan, look for stalks that are a deep green without an abundance of yellow leaves or flowers (gai lan starts to flower when it’s old).
Old gai lan is super bitter and tough but the good news is it’s really easy to tell which stalks are old and which are young. Take a look at the bottom of the stalks. If they’re thick, dry and crusty, they’re too old. The stalk should go from green on the edges to creamy and translucent near the middle. If it’s solid white, it’s going to be tough and stringy. Open flowers are also a sign that the stalks are past their prime.
A note on the flower buds: you can eat them! They’re perfectly edible, especially if they’re small and tight. If they haven’t flowered and opened yet the gai lan will still be tender and crisp.
How to prepare gai lan
It’s super easy to prepare gai lan, all you need to do is wash and trim. Give it a good soak and wash, then trim the stems. That’s it!
How to cook Chinese broccoli
There are two basic ways to cook gai lan: stir fried and blanched. Typically stir fried gai lan is made with a clear garlic sauce and blanched is served with oyster sauce.
Chinese broccoli with garlic sauce
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together some soy sauce, corn starch, chicken stock (or water), toasted sesame oil, and shaoxing wine.
- Stir fry the garlic and ginger: Heat a bit of oil in a wok or large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until soft but not brown.
- Cook the gai lan: Add the gai lan to the pan and cook for 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bright green and tender.
- Sauce it up: Add the prepared sauce to the pan and cook, until the sauce thickens a bit. Remove from the pan and enjoy!
Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce
- Make the sauce: In a small pan, add a bit of oil and cook the garlic and ginger until soft but not brown. Stir in oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and toasted sesame oil. Remove from the heat and set it aside.
- Cook the gai lan: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt to the pot. Add the gailan and cook for 2-4 minutes, until bright green and tender.
- Serve: Drain well and serve with the sauce drizzled on top.
What is oyster sauce?
Oyster sauce is a thick savory sauce with a hint of caramel sweetness and umami. It can be found in the Asian aisle of any grocery store. If you see the Lee Kum Kee bottle with the two people in boats, go for that one. It’s the premium oyster sauce which lists oysters as its first ingredient, unlike the one with the red panda label which has oysters listed further down the list.
Chinese broccoli FAQ
Can you eat gai lan raw?
You can, but it’s commonly eaten cooked. Just like broccoli, raw gai lan is a personal preference. And just like broccoli, gai lan is best cooked lightly so it is tender crisp.
Can you eat the leaves and flowers?
Yes, you can eat both! The leaves cook slightly faster than the stalks. If your gai lan stalks are super thick, you might want to trim the leaves from the stalks and cook the stalks first then add the leaves at the end.
How do you store gai lan?
If it’s uncooked, keep it in the fridge in the crisper.
Cooked gai lan can be keep, tightly covered for up to 3 days.
What flavors taste best with gai lan?
Asian flavors work really well: oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions, toasted sesame.
What can I use Chinese broccoli in?
You can use it in stir fries, soups and stews, pastas, fried rice, and as a side. It’s a very versatile vegetable.
What to serve with Chinese broccoli
Make a home style Chinese feast!
Ingredients
- 1 lb gai lan trimmed, aka Chinese broccoli
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp ginger grated
Garlic sauce
- 1/3 cup chicken stock low sodium preferred, or stock of choice
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine optional but highly recommended
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Oyster sauce
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine optional but highly recommended
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Instructions
Stir Fried Gai Lan with Garlic Sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken stock (or water or vegetable sauce), soy sauce, corn starch, Shaoxing wine, and toasted sesame oil. Set aside.
- In a wok or large pan, heat up the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until soft but not brown.
- Turn the heat up to medium high and add the gai lan to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the gai lan is bright green and tender-crisp, about 2-4 minutes depending on size.
- Add the prepared sauce to the pan and let it come to a simmer and reduce slightly.
Blanched Gai Lan with Oyster Sauce
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, make the sauce: In a small pot, heat up half of the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until soft but not brown. Stir in oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and toasted sesame oil. Remove from the heat and set it aside.
- Add the remaining oil to the boiling water as well as a pinch of salt. Add the gai lan and cook, until bright green and tender-crisp, about 2-4 minutes, depending on size. Drain well.
- Serve the gai lan with the oyster sauce drizzled on top.
How much oyster sauce should be added to the oyster sauce? It just says “2 oyster sauce”, not teaspoon or otherwise. Thank you in advance!
well, I eat a lot of greens, mostly spinach, but I’m tired of it and similar greens that are part of my diet, “regular” broccoli too, so thank you for another option!
I enjoyed this at every meal while I worked in Malaysia. I am so glad now that I know I can obtain it here and how to cook it.
I had Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce for the first time recently, when I went to a Chinese restaurant and could have only vegetables. They served it and I loved it. The sauce was thin, light and delicious. Now, I will buy it.
Love your very clear description of which oyster sauce to buy. Very helpful in a crowded grocery aisle…and also it gave me a chuckle :)
Thanks for you BLOG I want to make authentic Gai lan sauce like I taste at yum cha but having no luck. Just not right. Some just add oyster sauce only, some do Chao Shin wine etc thanks
I don’t know that I have ever had chinese broccoli, but we have a great asian grocery store near us with so many types of produce. I love broccolini and this looks delicious too.