This Chinese Broccoli with oyster sauce is an easy, ubiquitous vegetable side dish. You’ll find it at restaurants as well as on Chinese home dinner tables. If you’ve ever been to a dim sum place, this is often the only green vegetable dish available on the rolling carts!
The main flavor agent here is the oyster sauce, which is a little sweet and has great umami.
If you’re unfamiliar with oyster sauce, read more about it in our Oyster Sauce Ingredients Glossary article. Try Lee Kum Kee’s Premium Oyster Sauce, or if you’re willing to splurge, Megachef Oyster Sauce, available at The Mala Market.
The Megachef brand does cost more, but it’s also sweeter and more pourable, which makes it a good option for this application.We used it here.
If you’d like to make this recipe vegan/vegetarian, you can also use Vegetarian Oyster Sauce or Vegetarian Stir-fry Sauce (flavored with mushrooms rather than oysters) instead.
Regular vs. Baby Chinese Broccoli
Chinese cooks usually make this dish with the larger regular Chinese broccoli stalks.
That said, at your local Asian market, you may also find tender baby Chinese broccoli. Either is fine for this, but be sure to adjust cooking time accordingly. You’ll only need to cook the baby Chinese broccoli for about 1 minute.
Also, with the larger variety, you’re going to want to trim off the ends, and perhaps even peel the stems (like you might with asparagus), because they can be tough.
Look for vegetables that are deep green without yellow leaves or flowers, as this is an indication that they’re a bit old or have been sitting out on the supermarket floor too long.
How to Wash Chinese Broccoli
Be sure to thoroughly wash your Chinese broccoli (or any leafy greens) before cooking. The best way to do this is by filling a large bowl or basin with clean water. Here are the steps:
- Add the trimmed vegetables to the basin, and rub them between your hands to get rid of any residue and release sand/grit.
- Soak for at least 5 minutes to allow the grit to settle at the bottom of the basin.
- Lift the vegetables out of the water and into a colander (do not try to pour them into a colander, or you’ll just be pouring the sand/grit back onto the vegetables).
- Clean out the basin, fill it again with fresh water, and repeat the process 1-2x.
Ok, let’s get on to the recipe!
Recipe Instructions
Boil 2 quarts/liters of water in your wok or a large pot. Add the salt and oil directly to the water.
When the water reaches a good raging boil, carefully add the Chinese leafy broccoli. Depending on how much you have, you may want to work in two batches.
Use tongs or a pair of chopsticks to submerge the gai lan (Chinese Broccoli) completely. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until crisp tender (i.e. tender, but still a bit crunchy). If you like the veggies soft, leave them in a bit longer.
Use a pair of tongs or chopsticks to take the veggies out of the water.
Carefully shake off excess liquid and arrange the Chinese broccoli on a plate. Once they are all on the plate, you can drain any excess water that may have pooled on the plate.
Drizzle a couple tablespoons oyster sauce evenly over the gai lan…
And serve!
Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) with Oyster Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chinese broccoli (end trimmed and thoroughly washed)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2-3 tablespoons oyster sauce (or to taste)
Instructions
- Boil 2 quarts/liters of water in your wok or a large pot, and add the salt and oil directly to the water.
- When the water reaches a good raging boil, carefully add the whole stalks of Chinese broccoli. (Depending on how much you have, you may want to work in two batches.)
- Use tongs or a pair of chopsticks to submerge the veggies completely and cook for 1-2 minutes, until tender but still a bit crunchy. (If you like the veggies soft, leave them in a bit longer.)
- Use a pair of tongs or chopsticks to take the Chinese broccoli out of the water. Carefully shake off excess liquid and arrange on a plate. Once they are all plated, you can drain any excess water that may have pooled on the plate.
- Drizzle a couple tablespoons oyster sauce evenly over the veggies and serve!
Hello! If I have trouble getting gai lan (or other more traditional Asian leafy greens), can I substitute for another leafy green like collard or kale?
Hi there! Apologies that I missed your comment back in April, but yes you could use other leafy greens here. Broccolini would be great. Not sure collards or kale would become quite tender enough through a quick blanch—could be helpful just to cut them smaller before blanching!
What is a quart? Metric equivalents please
Hi merbert, a quart is a little less than a liter – about 946 ml
I grow this lovely veggie in my garden here in Oregon. It’s one the very best things that make their way to our table. AND they are the easiest of all to grow!!! Thanks for this super easy and tasty way to serve GaiLan!
Wow Chris, awesome that you can grow it yourself! We have tried, but I think our soil here in NJ is bad no matter how much we enrich and add fertilizer – they always seem to shoot prematurely. Maybe I just don’t have a green thumb lol but glad you can enjoy this simple recipe :)
Hello! Do you have a recipe for these but with no oyster sauce? I had it at a dim sum place and the sauce was more of a white color. Thank you! I love this page!
Hi Art, we don’t have a specific recipe for a white sauce like you describe, but you could use the same ingredients to make the sauce used in our moo goo gai pan to top off your Chinese broccoli.
Hi, can you please tell me what type of frying pan you are using? Thanks.
Hi Caro, we use carbon steel woks for most of our Chinese cooking but also love to use cast iron skillets.
Does oyster sauce need to be cooked?
Hi Lu, there is no need to cook the oyster sauce for this dish. Just so you know, oyster sauce needs to be refrigerated after opening.
Hello, do you have a favorite Oyster Sauce to use when cooking?
This looks fresh and delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome, Riya!
Looks so good. I miss simple cooking like this…my grandma used to make simple veggie dishes like this too. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.
Yes, simple whole foods are the best!
请问这是菜心还是介兰呢
芥兰！