Garlic Chinese Broccoli Recipe

Chinese broccoli, or Gai lan, is a healthy and easy vegetable that cooks in minutes. The secret for the crisp texture is to blanch briefly before stir-frying. When making this recipe, be careful not to burn the garlic. You can use the sauce with other Asian greens such as bok choy or cabbage.

Another thing to note is that you can peel the stem if you prefer a more tender and smooth texture. This is how Chinese restaurants cook their Chinese broccoli.

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Total Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Chinese Broccoli, Gai Lan

Servings: as a side dish

Author: Izzy

Equipment

Ingredients

For Blanching

1 pound Chinese broccoli* (sometimes it’s labeled as Gai Lan at Chinese grocery stores)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
salt to taste, more for seasoning before serving

For the Sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the stir-fry

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
salt to taste

Instructions

Trim Chinese Broccoli

First, wash your Chinse broccoli thoroughly. Cut off the tough ends of the stalk.
Peel the outer layer: hold the stem firmly with one hand and use a vegetable peeler to peel the outer layer of the stems. Start from the thicker end and peep downwards.
Use a knife to separate the leaves from the stems. Then hold the stem with one hand and use a sharp knife to cut the stem into diagonal slices with another hand. The thickness of the slices depends on your preference, but I usually cut them to 1/2 inch thick.

Blanch

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add about 1 teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt. Add Chinese broccoli to the boiling water. Blanch for 30 seconds. (Note that you don’t need to cook the veggie completely as you’ll stir fry it later). Blanching helps to tenderize the vegetable and retain the bright green color.
Immediately remove the veggie from the boiling water and drain it well. (Some people shock the Chinese broccoli in ice water, but I find it unnecessary.)

Make the Sauce

Whisk soy sauce, chicken stock, sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.

Stir Fry

Heat oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Make sure not to burn your garlic. If you are a beginner, you can add garlic to a COLD pan.
Add the blanched Chinese broccoli and the prepared sauce to the wok.
Cook for about 2 minutes. Toss the vegetable to coat it with the sauce or until the Chinese broccoli is tender yet still crisp. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Transfer the dish to a serving plate. Serve it with rice and other proteins such as chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu.

Notes

*Look for firm and bright green Chinese broccoli with crisp stalks.
How to make Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce? You’ll blanch your vegetables for 1 minute and don’t need to stir fry them later. Simply add 1-2 tablespoons of oyster sauce to your sauce and cook it until hot. Drizzle onto your gai lan, and you have it: Oyster Sauce Chinese Broccoli!
Peeling the stalk is an optional step, but if your Chinese broccoli has a thick and tough stem. It’s best to peel the our layer and cut the stems into smaller pieces.

Nutrition