cantonese stir-fried chinese broccoli

Back home in Christchurch, New Zealand, there’s a legendary Chinese farmer who is known city-wide for his ability to grow the X-Men of vegetables: produce so ridiculously sturdy and good looking that one has to wonder if they are mutants (in a good way). His Chinese broccoli (gai lan)is the most impressive offering of all. There’s no better way to enjoy this veg than by stir-frying it rapidly with a touch of rice wine. You can substitute the gai lan with broccolini, if you prefer.

Serves 300g Chinese broccoli (gai lan) 4% tsp bicarbonate of soda 12 tsp cornflour 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tsp finely diced ginger 2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine tsp salt 2 tsp granulated sugar 1 Bring about 1.4 litres water to the boil in a large saucepan. Rip the leaves from the central stalk of each gai lan plant. For larger leaves that have a longer stem, rip off the stem as well and tear the leaves in half. Cut the stalks at an angle into chopstickable pieces. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the boiling water, then blanch the gai lan for1-2 minutes, or until just soft. Immediatel drain in colander.

2 In a bowl, mix the cornflour and 2 teaspoons water into a slurry then set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat. Add the oil and stir-fry the ginger until fragrant. Add the gai lan and stir-fry quickly. Add the rice wine, salt and sugar and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until you can smell the rice wine. Stir the cornflour slurry briefly then add it to the wok and toss until each piece of gai lan is glossy, and serve.

qingquang

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