Gai lan, kai-lan, Chinese broccoli, Chinese kale, or jie lan (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''alboglabra'') is a
leaf vegetable with thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems, and florets similar to (but much smaller than)
broccoli. 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.
Its ...
''
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 of broccoli and gai lan (which is sometimes referred to as "Chinese kale" or "Chinese broccoli") ...
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 ot ...
, common preparations include gai lan
stir-fried with
ginger
Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...
and garlic, and boiling, boiled or steamed and served with oyster sauce. It is also common in Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese, Cuisine of Burma, Burmese and Thai cuisine.
In Americanized Chinese food, gai lan was frequently replaced by broccoli, when gai lan was not available.
See also
* Bok choy
* Choy sum
* Kale
* Rapeseed
* Rapini
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