If you spend any amount of time at real (not just some Panda Express/Chop Suey joint) Chinese restaurants, you will probably run into a dish often introduced to English speakers as ‘Chinese Broccoli.’ I have been eating Chinese food, and preparing Chinese food much of my life, and I have since come to love this tasty, yet different, Asian vegetable.
I have also learned how to cook this distinctly Chinese dish, which can be somewhat difficult for chefs just learning how to cook Gailan. Chinese broccoli, known as ‘gailan’ in Mandarin, is a popular vegetable often cooked stir fried style, with different ingredients added to flavor it in a variety of ways. I cook Gailan, and am a big fan of its taste, and I will now show you how to cook, by stir fry, this tasty dish.
Gailan resembles a cross between tradition broccoli and cabbage. It is generally green, with a thick, crunchy stem and a large, flat leafy end. There is small flower heads on near the end on some pieces, and the whole thing, stem through flowers and leaves may be eaten. It is found often in Cantonese and in Vietnamese dishes, with each part of the Gailan having a distinct and different flavor. There is a little bit of a ‘bitter’ taste to it, which sets it apart from the Western, traditional broccoli found in many homes throughout the United States.
To cook Gailan properly, via stir fry, I first prepare a stir fry setup in a wok, a traditional method of stir frying. It’s a very large pan, and is made to handle the rough and often vigorous work required for this type of cooking. I add a little bit of olive oil to the wok, and heat it on high till it is sizzling.
Then, I throw in a spoonful of salt and minced garlic, being careful to avoid the resulting popping oil. Next, I immediately add the washed and sliced Gailan, quickly tossing and turning it to ensure it does not burn. After about a minute of this, I pour the stock sauce over the Gailan.
The sauce consists of chicken boiloun cube, about a cup of boiling water, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. This is then tossed and turned to mix it in with the Gailan some more, and the cover then put on over the wok. The heat is turned down to low, and it is allowed to cook for about a minute, then the Gailan is removed from the heat. I take the veggies and drain off any excess stock, and then serve. Some recipes recommend boiling the Gailan in the stock in a separate container for a short period of time, then stir frying it afterwards.
Gailan is a very popular Chinese dish, and is quite tasty if properly prepared. If you have never tried them before, consider visiting a local Asian market or grocery store to pick some up, and cook them as described. Enjoy Gailan, and happy cooking!
