Gai Lan / Chinese Broccoli

Also known asKai-lan · Kailan · Chinese Broccoli · Chinese Kale · Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra · 芥蓝 · 芥兰

Name: Gai lan, also called Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) — a leafy vegetable with thick, glossy, blue-green leaves, thick stems and small white flower buds, with a slightly bitter flavour. It is also covered from a leafy-green angle on a separate page.

Description

Gai lan is native to southern China, and has been cultivated for centuries. The name is Cantonese for “mustard blue,” and it is a staple of Cantonese and Southeast Asian cooking, classically served blanched with oyster sauce, a dish found on dim sum tables.

It is a close relative of ordinary broccoli and kale, but it has more leaf and thinner flower heads, and a distinct bitterness that is balanced by sauces. The thick stems are peeled and cooked until tender, and the leaves cook faster.

Main nutrition value

Gai lan is a good source of vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium and folate, with fibre and glucosinolates.

How best to be consumed

Gai lan is usually blanched or stir-fried, with its stems trimmed.

1. Blanch or steam whole stems and drizzle with oyster sauce and a little hot oil.
2. Stir-fry with garlic and ginger, adding the thick stems first and the leaves later.
3. Add to noodle soups, hot pots and congee.
4. Peel thick stems if tough, and add a pinch of sugar to balance bitterness.
5. Store unwashed in the fridge and use within a few days.

Overconsumption could cause…

Gai lan is safe and healthy in food amounts.

1. Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
2. Bloating and gas, since cruciferous vegetables contain raffinose and other fermentable carbohydrates.
3. Possible effects on thyroid function in people with an underactive thyroid or iodine deficiency if very large amounts are eaten raw, since brassicas contain goitrogens; normal cooked servings are fine.
4. A lot of salt and sodium if served with plenty of oyster sauce.

GroupsCruciferous VegetablesLeafy Green VegetablesCruciferous (cabbage family)Low fatLow sodiumRich in folateRich in vitamin CRich in vitamin KChineseFresh

Related foodsBok Choy / Pak ChoyNapa Cabbage / Chinese CabbageMustard GreensRocket / ArugulaKaleWatercress

Wikipedia — Gai lan, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gai_lan