Chinese Broccoli in Ginger Sauce (Jian Zhi Jie Lan)

This simple yet delicious treatment for Chinese Broccoli (gai lan in Cantonese) is adapted from Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop. We reviewed the book in February, 2021. If the bottoms of the stems are very thick, peel them with a vegetable peeler.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Ingredients

3/4 pound (350 g) Chinese broccoli, washed and trimmed

Salt

4 tablespoons canola or other neutral cooking oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger

1 tablespoon Xiaoxing cooking wine

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

1. Bring about 2 1/2 quarts (2 1/2 liters) of water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon of the oil, then the Chinese broccoli. Blanch it for two to four minutes. The stems should be just tender, but still crisp. If you are stir-frying them immediately, drain the broccoli stems and shake dry in a colander. If you want to serve them later, refresh the stems under a cold tap to arrest cooking before draining well.

2. When you wish to serve the broccoli, add the remaining oil to a seasoned wok over a high flame, swirl it around, then add the ginger and sizzle briefly until you can smell its fragrance. Splash in the Shaoxing wine and add the sugar. Add the broccoli and stir-fry, adding salt to taste, until it is piping hot. (Note: If you are using broccoli blanched earlier, then cooled, you will need to pour 2 to 3 tablespoons water or stock into the wok and cover it, so the steams reheat thoroughly.)

3. Remove the broccoli from the wok and lay it neatly on a serving dish. Pour the juices and ginger from the wok over the broccoli.