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Gai lan with vegetarian oyster sauce
Blanched Chinese broccoli under a glossy mushroom "oyster" sauce
Every Cantonese table needs a plate of greens, and gai lan (Chinese broccoli) is the favourite in Guangdong homes and Hong Kong cha chaan teng. The stems are thick, sweet and slightly bitter, the leaves soft. Restaurants blanch it and pour oyster sauce on top; here a mushroom-based vegetarian oyster sauce gives the same dark gloss and savouriness. Chef's tip: add a spoon of oil and a pinch of sugar to the blanching water; the oil keeps the greens bright and shiny, and the sugar softens the bitterness.
- Total time
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Main
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring a large pan of water to the boil with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and ½ tsp sugar. Add 14 oz gai lan (Chinese broccoli) stems first, then push the leaves under after 1 minute. Cook for 2–3 minutes in total until the stems are just tender when pierced but still snap. Drain and lay on a plate.
3 minStep 2: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium heat and fry 3 cloves garlic for 30–60 seconds until pale gold and fragrant.
1 minStep 3: Stir together 2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce (mushroom-based), 1 tsp light soy sauce, 3 tbsp water and ½ tsp cornflour, pour into the pan and bubble for 30 seconds until glossy. Stir in ½ tsp toasted sesame oil.
1 minStep 4: Common mistake: tossing the greens in the sauce, which makes them muddy. Pour the sauce over the top of the plate instead, and serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 70 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gai lan with vegetarian oyster sauce take?
- About 10 minutes in total: 3 minutes to prepare and 7 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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