This is a typical Cantonese-style beef stir-fry originated from Guangdong province in China. Chinese broccoli, often called kai lan or gai lan in Cantonese, is a very popular Chinese leafy green vegetable commonly used in beef stir-fries or simply blanched and served with oyster sauce. If I want to whip up something healthy and tasty, this will definitely be my favourite dish to cook easily. For many stir-fried Chinese leafy greens with or without meat, oyster sauce is a must have ingredient to make a simple and delicious meal. For my gluten free recipe, Chinese broccoli is blanched briefly to retain its crunchiness and top with beef stir-fried with oyster sauce.
Chinese broccoli or kai lan, also often referred to as Chinese kale or flowering kale, is a cruciferous vegetable that belongs to the same cabbage family as broccoli, cabbage and kale, known as Brassica Oleracea. Kai lan typically has smaller stems and white flowers and looks much leafier. Kai lan is packed with nutrients, it is an excellent source of vitamin A, C and K. It is not only a good source of folate (folic acid), calcium and iron, but also has very high level of dietary fiber. Health benefits of Chinese broccoli include promote healthy eyes, bones, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The dietary fiber content also helps relieve indigestion and constipation. Like all member of the cabbage family, Chinese broccoli also contains some cancer-fighting compounds called glucosinolates which can be broken down into highly active isothiocyanates, consuming these cruciferous vegetables may lower the risk of some cancer.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 800 g 1.8Ib/28oz beef rump steak, thinly sliced
- 6 whole garlic cloves peeled
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 cm ginger peeled and finely grated
- 2 bunches Chinese broccoli washed and drain well
- 3 spring onions sliced into 4cm lengthwise (white and green parts)
- Steamed rice to serve
For the Sauce:
- 5 tablespoon gluten free oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon pure sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons pale or medium dry sherry
- 50 ml water
For the Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon of gluten free light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of pale or medium dry sherry
- 1 ½ teaspoons gluten free corn maize starch
- 1 teaspoon of ground white pepper
Instructions
- Combine beef with marinade in a large bowl and mix well.
- Prepare and mix the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Fill a pot with half full of water and bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low.
- Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil into the boiled water and briefly blanch the Chinese broccoli for 50 seconds or until the vegetables turn bright green. Remove and place on a serving plate. Blanch in 2 to 3 batches.
- Heat up a wok with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, stir-fry the beef on medium to high heat for 3 minutes or until nearly cooked through. Remove beef and set aside. Clean wok with kitchen paper towel.
- Heat up the wok with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, pan fry the garlic cloves on low heat until lightly golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- Then add garlic and ginger, and stir-fry until lightly golden on low heat. Return the beef to the wok. Add the sauce and stir-fry for another 2 minutes or until the beef is cooked through.
- Place the beef and sauce on top of the Chinese Broccoli, garnish with the pan fried garlic cloves and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Notes
This sounds and looks absolutely delicious, wish I was having this for dinner tonight!
Thanks Camilla! 🙂
Oh my, this does sound rather fantastic!
Thank you Elizabeth 🙂