chinese broccoli

sf said:

I haven't eaten "restaurant" chinese broccoli for quite a while, so I
didn't remember how many leaves are usually trimmed off the stem, if
they're put back in the dish separately etc. I trimmed leaves off the
stalk up to the top, but kept them and added later. The stalk and top
part (flowers and leaves) were mild, but the leaves I'd taken off the
lower stalk and added back were a little bitter. The final result
wasn't bad, but bitter enough to make my family complain... the wimps.

If it's the Chinese broccoli I know, sometimes called gai lan, the
leaves are relatively small (for greens) and are just left on. I cook
it two ways. Simply steamed until done but still crisp, then stirred
around with oyster sauce (often thinned with water) until hot. This is
basically how they do it at a lot of dim sum restaurants. For this, I
trim just the bottom of the stalks, leaving the broccoli whole.

Or, I will slice it into about 2" lenths, leaving the leaves on. Heat
a heavy pan or wok, add oil and a smashed garlic clove or two, then
stirfry the broccoli for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt
and a little sugar. Add oyster sauce and a bit of water. Stir, lower
heat, cover and cook until done but still crisp. The sugar is just a
pinch for flavor, not because we think gai lan is bitter, but I suppose
it will combat bitterness. The garlic is the better anti-bitter agent.
-aem

aem said:

sf said:

I haven't eaten "restaurant" chinese broccoli for quite a while, so I
didn't remember how many leaves are usually trimmed off the stem, if
they're put back in the dish separately etc. I trimmed leaves off the
stalk up to the top, but kept them and added later. The stalk and top
part (flowers and leaves) were mild, but the leaves I'd taken off the
lower stalk and added back were a little bitter. The final result
wasn't bad, but bitter enough to make my family complain... the wimps.

If it's the Chinese broccoli I know, sometimes called gai lan, the
leaves are relatively small (for greens) and are just left on. I cook
it two ways. Simply steamed until done but still crisp, then stirred
around with oyster sauce (often thinned with water) until hot. This is
basically how they do it at a lot of dim sum restaurants. For this, I
trim just the bottom of the stalks, leaving the broccoli whole.

Or, I will slice it into about 2" lenths, leaving the leaves on. Heat
a heavy pan or wok, add oil and a smashed garlic clove or two, then
stirfry the broccoli for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt
and a little sugar. Add oyster sauce and a bit of water. Stir, lower
heat, cover and cook until done but still crisp. The sugar is just a
pinch for flavor, not because we think gai lan is bitter, but I suppose
it will combat bitterness. The garlic is the better anti-bitter agent.
-aem

Thanks for the feedback. The sauce is basically what I did too. I
thought I had lots of garlic (6 cloves) for the amount of broccoli,
but maybe I should have used more.