← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 400 g Chinese broccoli (gai lan), tough ends trimmed, thick stems halved lengthways
• 1 tsp salt, for the blanching water
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, plus 1 tsp for the water
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Water
• ½ tsp Toasted sesame oil

Method

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil with the salt and 1 tsp oil. Add the gai lan and blanch for 1–2 min, until the stems are bright green and just tender when pierced. Drain well and lay on a plate.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan over medium heat. Fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, until fragrant but not brown.
3. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and water and bubble for 30 seconds, until glossy. Stir in the sesame oil.
4. Pour the sauce over the gai lan and serve hot.

Tips

• A little oil in the blanching water keeps the greens shiny and bright.
• Use mushroom-based vegetarian "oyster" sauce for a vegetarian version.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Taste of Asian Food What To Cook Today