This Chinese broccoli stir fry is an easy to make and tasty vegetable side dish, perfect for any meal. It's garlicky, fresh, and delicious! Enjoy it char siu, teriyaki chicken, or miso salmon and some rice to complete the meal.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Yield: 2servings
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Ingredients
1poundgai lanrinsed and cleaned (also known as Chinese broccoli)
3tablespoonsoil(any neutral oil such as canola, grapeseed, and avocado)
Prepare the gai lan:After the Chinese broccoli is rinsed and cleaned, shake off as much water as possible. Separate the leaves from each stem and keep them separated. Using a vegetable peeler or pairing knife, peel off the outer skin of the stem until the tender, pale green center is revealed. This is especially helpful for regular gai lan.*
For the Chinese broccoli stems, trim off the bottoms, then cut the stems at an angle, into bit size pieces. For the leaves, stack them together and cut them into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Keep the stems and leaves separated.
Cook the gai lan:In a wok or large pan over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced garlic and sauté until the garlic starts to brown.
Add the Chinese broccoli stems and stir fry briefly, about 15 to 30 seconds, then, add the leaves. Give everything a rough mix.
Drizzle in the water and cover with a lid. Allow the gai lan to steam for about 2 minutes, or until the leaves are wilted and the stems are just tender. You may need to stir the vegetables mid way to help it cook more evenly.
Once the leaves have wilted, drizzle the Shaoxing rice wine around the pan. Stir and toss the Chinese broccoli until fragrant and the rice wine is cooked off.
Finish by seasoning the vegetables with salt, chicken bouillon powder, and sugar. Stir and toss well to combine. Enjoy while hot!
Notes
Please refer to the post above for step by step photo reference, tips, and FAQs!
Gai lan - Some Asian markets offer both regular gai lan and baby gai lan. As the name suggests, baby gai lan is thinner and much more tender than the regular ones. If using baby gai lan, you can skip the peeling process and just cut the baby gai lan into bit size pieces, about 1 to 2 inches long.
Chicken bouillon powder - If you do not have chicken bouillon powder or want to keep the dish vegan and vegetarian, omit the bouillon powder. Instead, use about ¼ teaspoon more salt per ½ teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder.