What is it?
Also known as gai lan, kai-lan, or Chinese kale, this leafy green vegetable looks like a cross between mustard greens, spinach, bok choy and – if you look closely in the center of those green bundles – broccoli.
The taste is a similar combination of broccoli (the stems) and very mild mustard greens (the leaves), with a pungent, bitter, but not unpleasant, aftertaste.
It’s a great side dish if you’re in a hurry – when sautéed, it shouldn’t take longer than five to seven minutes on a hot stove.
How is it used?
This healthy, green veggie is commonly found in Chinese – particularly Cantonese – cuisine, as well as Vietnamese and Thai cultures.
It is often eaten steamed and tossed with oyster sauce or stir-fried with garlic and ginger as a side dish. It also works great in soups and as a vegetable in a main-dish stir-fry.
Where can you buy it?
Super H Mart is the place I always find it, but I’ve spotted it at 99 Ranch Market in the past.
Recipe:
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce: Courtesy of Steamy Kitchen
This article appears in Dec 16-22, 2010.