Tuesday, January 19, 2010

BRAISED GAI LAN WITH HOISIN SAUCE (CHINESE BROCCOLI)

Gai Lan a.k.a. Chinese Broccoli or Chinese Kale. This is a dimsum veggie staple, with a drizzle of oyster sauce on top. This dish is simple, easy yet delicious and very healthy. I'm serving mine with hoisin sauce instead of oyster sauce. I like the sweet and tangy sauce with my gai lan.

TIP: Wash and soak any green leafy vegetables with a tsp of salt and water for few minutes. Salted water will help bring out little bugs that are in every nooks and crannies in the vegetables

Cut the end stems of the vegetable just like you would with asparagus, it'll snap up to the soft part of the stem. If the stems are big you blanch them in boiling water by dipping them first for few minutes until the stems are soft yet crisp. Next dip the leafy part and blanch for few minutes until the leaves are tender and crisp.  Normally with this process you are suppose to put them in an ice bath to stop the cooking and to maintain the bright green color but for gai lan it's not necessary since they will stay bright green w/o the ice bath.



In a pan, saute some chopped garlic and onions until cooked. Put in the blanched veggies and toss until the veggies are coated w/ the flavored oil. Arrange the braised gai lan on a platter. Using the same pan heat up some hoisin sauce then pour the sauce on top of the gai lan.

This dish will be perfect as a meal served w/ rice or a side dish just like what i did w/ my PORK SATAY .

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