Asian leafy greens stir-fried in garlic with a garlicky, savory sauce. This quick and easy Chinese broccoli stir fry is ready in 10 minutes with simple ingredients! The perfect vegetable side dish to work into your weekly rotation!
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Chinese Broccoli Stir Fry features gai-lan stir fried in a delicious garlicky oyster sauce. Gai-lan is one of the most popular Chinese vegetables and it's commonly eaten in many Asian households.
It's also served at many Chinese restaurants for dim sum as a side dish and a great way to get in fiber into your diet!
Gai-lan is a dark leafy vegetable with a thick stems and yellow flower buds sold at many Asian grocery stores. It has a slightly bitter but sweet taste.
Depending on the grocer, you can find baby gai-lan or regular gai-lan which are older and have thicker stalks.
This gai lan stir fry is super easy and made with minimal ingredients in little time and in one pan! I love serving these veggies with white rice and Lemon Chicken!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements
- Chinese Broccoli (aka Gai-Lan): this is a leafy green vegetable with thick stalks. Make sure to choose vibrant green ones without any yellowing leaves. You can use regular gai lan or baby gai lan for this recipe.
- Garlic cloves
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Water: to cook the greens faster
Sauce
- Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce if you don't like oysters. If you're gluten-free: substitute with a gluten-free version.
- Sesame oil
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Shaoxing wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic or gluten-free version, substitute with any broth.
- Sugar: to balance out the salty flavors
Note: Your Asian grocery store will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Wash your Greens. Ensure to wash your greens well to remove any dirt or hidden insects and until the water runs clear.
- Trim the ends. I like to trim the ends of the stalks on an angle for presentation and better taste. The ends tend to be tougher too.
- Make thin slices into the thicker stems. Use a paring knife to make a thin slice into the base of the stem part. This helps the thick stalks cook quickly.
- Peel the stalks for a tender texture. Use a vegetable peeler and peel away the skin around the base of the thick stalks.
- Add water to help the greens cook faster!
Instructions
- Wash Chinese broccoli under cold water until water runs clear. Trim the end of each stalk using a knife and make 4 small slits into the base of the thick stalks. This helps them cook faster. Optional: if you're not keen on presentation, chop the greens into 2-inch pieces or thirds.
- In a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
- In a large pan on medium heat, add vegetable oil or neutral tasting oil. Once the oil is hot, add minced garlic and fry for 10 seconds until fragrant.
- Add Chinese broccoli and stir fry for 2 minutes with garlic.
- Pour in sauce and mix with greens.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the thick stalks are fork tender. Add ¼ cup water to help cook the greens faster.
- Transfer greens and garlic to serving plate. For presentation, line the greens with leaves on one side and stalks on the other side pouring the garlic and sauce over top. Using clean kitchen scissors, snip the greens into half or thirds. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I wouldn't recommend freezing this Chinese broccoli stir-fry as the greens will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
Chinese broccoli stir-fry serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
- protein dishes like Cashew Chicken, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Gochujang Chicken, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
Other greens that could work in this vegetable stir-fry are: choy sum, Bok choy, Chinese kale, broccoli rabe and regular broccoli.
Chinese broccoli and regular broccoli are completely different in taste, texture and structure. Chinese broccoli (aka Gai-lan) has very leafy parts and a bright green thick stalk and may contain yellow flower buds or open flowers. The stalks have a very crunchy texture, and the taste is slightly bitter and earthy. American broccoli or broccoli florets are softer in texture and not bitter. Broccoli has a large thick stalk and with tightly packed bud clusters.
Trim the ends of the thick stalks of the Chinese broccoli on an angle. You can also peel off the thick skin off the stalks with a peeler. At this point, you can either make 4 small slits into the thick stalk to help it cook faster or you can chop the green into 2-inch pieces on an angle.
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📖 Recipe
10-min. Easy Chinese Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chinese Broccoli washed and dried
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
- ¼ cup water to help cook the greens faster
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or sub with Vegetarian Stir Fry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine or sub with Dry Sherry Wine or any broth
- ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash Chinese broccoli under cold water until water runs clear. Trim the end of each stalk using a knife and make 4 small slits into the base of the thick stalks. This helps them cook faster. Optional: if you're not keen on presentation, chop the greens into 2-inch pieces or thirds.
- In a small bowl, combine Sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
- In a large pan on medium heat, add vegetable oil or neutral tasting oil. Once the oil is hot, add minced garlic and fry for 10 seconds until fragrant.
- Add Chinese broccoli and stir fry for 2 minutes with garlic.
- Pour in sauce and mix with greens. Cover with a lid and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the thick stalks are fork tender. Add ¼ cup water to help cook the greens faster.
- Transfer greens and garlic to serving plate. For presentation, line the greens with leaves on one side and stalks on the other side pouring the garlic and sauce over top. Using clean kitchen scissors, snip the greens into half or thirds. Enjoy!
Molly
I make this all the time and we love that garlic flavour! A quick and very simple recipe. Thank you!
Christie Lai
So happy to hear Molly! Thanks for making it!