Gai lan, kai-lan, Chinese broccoli, Chinese kale, or jie lan (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''alboglabra'') is a

leaf vegetable Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gre ...

with thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems, and florets similar to (but much smaller than)

broccoli Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering head, stalk and small associated leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Broccoli is cla ...

. A ''

Brassica oleracea ''Brassica oleracea'' is a plant species from family Brassicaceae that includes many common cultivars used as vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai lan. It ...

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

, gai lan is in the group ''alboglabra'' (from Latin ''albus'' "white" and ''glabrus'' "hairless"). When gone to flower, its white blossoms resemble that of its cousin ''Matthiola incana'' or Hoary Stock. The flavor is very similar to that of broccoli, but noticeably stronger and slightly more bitter.

Hybrids

Broccolini Broccolini, Aspabroc, or baby broccoli, is a green vegetable similar to broccoli but with smaller florets and longer, thin stalks. It is a Hybrid (biology), hybrid of broccoli and gai lan (which is sometimes referred to as "Chinese kale" or " ...

is a hybrid between broccoli and gai lan.

Cultivation

''Gai lan'' can be sown in late summer for early-winter harvesting. Seedlings planted in autumn will last all winter. As with other brassicas, gai lan is harvested and consumed just as its white flowers start to bloom, as the stems can become woody and tough when the plant bolts.

Uses

''Gai lan'' is eaten widely in

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many o ...

, common preparations include gai lan

stir-fried Stir frying () is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and t ...

with

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeas ...

, and

boiled Boiling is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapour pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding atmosphere. T ...

or steamed and served with

oyster sauce Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts,The Times, 22 January 1981; ''Cook Accidentally on purpose'' sugar, salt and water thic ...

. It is also common in

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

, Burmese and

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai ...

. In Americanized Chinese food, gai lan was frequently replaced by broccoli, when gai lan was not available. File:Cải rổ.jpg, Gai lan File:baby kailan chinese.jpg, Baby gai lan served Cantonese style File:Phat khana mu krop.jpg, ''Phat khana mu krop'': Thai style fried Chinese broccoli with crispy

pork belly Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless and fatty cut of meat from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in Hispanic, Chinese, Danish, Norwegian, Korean, Thai and Filipino cuisine. Regional dishes France In Alsatian ...

References

*
How To Stir-Fry Chinese Broccoli

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra Asian vegetables Brassica oleracea Burmese cuisine Cantonese cuisine Chinese vegetables Hong Kong cuisine Leaf vegetables Thai cuisine Vietnamese cuisine

Hybrids

Cultivation

Uses

See also

References

External links