Kai –Lan(芥兰) with oyster sauce

This dish is an all-time favourite with my family. Even the little one loves eating it.

Kai-lan (芥兰) comes from the Cantonese language and is the common Malaysian term for Chinese broccoli or kale. It is a dark-green leafy vegetable. It has thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with short and thick stems. It is of the same species as broccoli and kale with almost the same flavour but slightly sweeter.  Kai-lan is the superstar of vegetables where nutrients are concerned. It has the highest calcium content of any vegetable. It is also rich in iron, potassium, manganese, beta-carotene, Vitamins C and B6. It is an excellent source of chlorophyll and it is abundant in sulphur-rich phytochemicals. Chewing on a piece of kai-lan releases sulforaphane which causes the liver to produce enzymes that detoxify cancer-causing chemicals. Its juice apparently can be used to treat stomach and duodenal ulcer. During the postnatal confinement month only certain vegetables are allowed to be eaten and one of them is kai-lan. When cooked correctly, the stem should be crunchy and the leaves soft. There has been concern about the pesticide level of locally grown kai-lan, which can be seen in the whitish parts in the silvery-green leaves. You can remove it by soaking the vegetable in salt water for three minutes. Rinse thoroughly before cutting and cooking the kai-lan. I prefer to soak it in the water used for washing rice. 

The dwarf variety or Baby kai-lan is more tender, therefore is suitable for children and old folks. 

Ingredients

300 Gms kai-lan

Remove the skin from the stems to make it softer for the children

Soak for 10 minutes in the water used to wash the rice

Here you can see most of the wax on the leaves is gone

Put the following sauce ingredients into a bowl

1 tsp shaoxing wine

½ tsp sesame oil

2-3 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

½ tsp sugar

Dash of pepper

Mix well

Put some of the sauce on the serving platter

Heat some sesame oil and fry the thinly sliced ginger until light brown.

Dish up and leave aside

Add the sliced shallots and chopped garlic.

Fry until light brown. Dish up and add to the ginger

Blanch the kai-lan until the stems are almost tender

Drain the kai-lan and put into the prepared platter.

Put the remaining sauce on the kai-lan and garnish with the fried ginger, shallots and garlic

Using the same ingredients you can prepare this dish as shown below

Put the sauce ingredients into a large mixing bowl

Put enough water into the wok and bring to the boil then add the kai-lan.

Strain the water and add to the seasoning mixture.

Mix thoroughly

Dish up onto a serving platter and top with the fried ginger, shallots and garlic.