One of my favorite memories as a child was going to Chinatown in New York City with my family and we would visit some of the authentic hole-in-the-wall restaurants with the best tasting food! We used to go with my mom's best friend and her family and some of my favorite memories were grabbing Chinese food in the cold winter, walking the streets of NYC, and then grabbing Haagen Daaz ice cream! My family friends Karen, Christine, and Kim would be with my sister and I exploring NYC and all the interesting shops in Chinatown and then neighboring Little Italy. It was cold and damp and usually snowy, but we were always excited to head into the warm shops and restaurants to check out the souvenirs and unique items that could only be found there. Going to NYC's Chinatown in the 1980s was like visiting an entirely different world...the smells and shops were exotic and very different from life in the New Jersey suburbs which made the experience entirely enticing, especially for kids. But one thing I just loved, was eating the food! Some of the staple dishes we would get were General Tso chicken, fried rice, lo mein, orange chicken, broccoli with garlic sauce (still my favorite today), among others! We would fill our bellies with this delicious food and head back to New Jersey with our bellies and our minds full of everything we had experienced. Although I absolutely loved the food, I did learn to create a few dishes at home! The vegetables were always just as exotic as the city itself as they were a bit different than what we would find in our local suburban grocery stores. Gai Lan is traditional Chinese broccoli and is full of vitamins and minerals! If you ever want a nutritious and delicious dish, try making this Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) with Oyster Sauce! You can eat this with rice or pair it with meat. Delicious and nutritious, you will surely love this dish!
Ingredients:
1 lb Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)
1 1/2 tbsp Olive oil
5 whole garlic cloves, peeled and gently smashed
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (or dry Sherry)
1/4 tsp sugar
1 inch fresh ginger, cut into 1/8 coins and smashed
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Directions:
Trim 1-inch from the ends of Gai Lan and discard. In a large wok or pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil over medium heat. When the oil is just starting to get hot, add the whole garlic cloves and let them fry until golden brown on all sides. Toasting the garlic should take about 2 minutes. While the garlic is toasting, mix the stock, wine, and sugar in a small bowl.
Turn the heat to high and add the ginger, fry for 30 seconds. Add the gai lan stalks and use a spatula to scoop up the oil so that every stalk is covered with ginger/garlic-infused oil for 30 seconds.
Pour the stock mixture into the wok and immediately cover the wok with a right-fitting lid. Turn the heat to medium and let the vegetables steam for 3-4 minutes. The stalks should be soft and easy to piece with a fork.
Remove the gai lan to a plate, leaving any remaining stock mixture in the wok. Add the oyster sauce and sesame oil to the wok and thicken on high for 1 minute. Pour the mixture over the gai lan and serve!! Hope you enjoy this healthy and delicious dish! Enjoy!
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