Gai Lan is Chinese broccoli. It looks nothing like American broccoli. In fact, it doesn’t have the beautiful florets that American broccoli does and is leafier. I love a good roasted American broccoli (find my recipe here https://zanygastro.com/roasting-broccoli/) but Gai Lan is another way to add more vegetables to my diet. The more varied plants we eat, the more diverse our microbiome.
Gai Lan is available at most Asian grocery stores. In North Carolina, I typically get mine from HMart although it is readily available at my local Harris Teeter. There are 2 types of Gai Lan: the tips and the stemmier ones. I’m not sure that the aforementioned are the right classification terms. What I can tell you is that the Gai Lan Tips don’t have much of a stalk whereas the stemmier Gai Lan have thicker stalks and bigger leaves. Why does this make a difference? The Gai Lan Tips with thinner stalk leaves tender to have more tender leaves. The stemmier Gai Lan has the added benefit of having stalks that are yummy, tender, and crunchy. However, you do have to get rid of the thick skin around the stalks so be careful when chopping!
What You’ll Need:
Gai Lan
Salt
Pepper
Chinkiang Vinegar (This is black Chinese vinegar. Another name for Chinkiang Vinegar is Zhenjiang Vinegar. If you don’t have it, rice wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar are fine substitutes)
- Peel the leaves from the stalks of the Gai Lan. If you’re using the stemmier Gai Lan, try to get rid as much of the thick stalk skin as possible before coarsely slicing the stalk center. If you don’t have the greatest knife skills, you can still eat the stalk with the skin on – just slice it thinner so it cooks evenly.
- In a wok (Dutch Oven is fine. A shallow pan is not idea because it’ll be harder to stir-fry vegetables in general without losing some to the fire), heat some oil.
- Toss in the Gai Lan. Stir-Fry until the leaves are almost wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a few dashes of vinegar.
- Cover the wok with a lid. Let it sit for a few minutes and the dish should be done.