Gai Lan Oyster Sauce Stir-Fry

Could greens really be this good?? Every time I eat this gai lan stir fry I am surprised how much I am enjoying a plate of green vegetables considering I am not really a vegetable person to start. The combination of gai lan (aka Chinese broccoli) and savoury oyster sauce is a match made in heaven and a classic for a reason. This is a go-to veggie dish in my house because it is fast, simple, uses simple ingredients, and it goes well with just about any meal, Thai or not!

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What is Gai Lan Oyster Sauce Stir Fry?

You might be familiar with a Chinese restaurant dish with long stems of steamed gai lan on a plate with oyster sauce drizzled on top, and this is a similar idea except BETTER! It's all cut up so you don't have to try to eat whole stems of gai lan while trying to be graceful about it (which is not possible anyway).

And because it's stir-fried, the flavours of the sauce are absorbed into the vegetables making them extra flavourful. Not the mention the soft, chunky garlic pieces, those are the cherry on the sundae!

In Thai this dish is called kana pad namman hoi คะน้าผัดน้ำมันหอย and it's a very common vegetable side dish people cook at home because it is so easy and delicious.

Ingredients and Notes

Here are all the ingredients you need with important notes about them. For amounts, see the recipe card below.

• Chinese broccoli aka gai lan. If you have a choice, choose smaller gai lan for this recipe. Large, mature gai lan tend are tougher and more bitter while younger ones are more tender and not bitter. Some Chinese grocery stores offer both larger and smaller ones so be sure to look carerfully. If not available, you can substitute broccolini instead. If using broccolini, cut into 2-inch pieces, and to ensure tenderness you may want to peel the bottom half of the stems.
• Garlic
• Thai chilies, optional. Only if you want to make it spicy.
• Oyster sauce. Use good quality oyster sauce for this if you can as it is the main ingredient. See my post here on how to choose good oyster sauce.
• Soy sauce. I use Thai soy sauce for this, but any kind of soy sauce will work. See types of sauce sauce explained.
• Sugar. Just a little bit to balance the saltiness.
• Ground white or black pepper, or to taste
• Jasmine rice for serving, as is typical for a Thai meal, though this would make a good side veg for just about any meal!

How to Make Gai Lan Oyster Sauce Stir Fry

Here's a bird's eye view of all the steps. If this is your first time, I recommend watching the video tutorial to ensure success!

1. Slice thicker gai lan stems on a sharp diagonal. For thinner stems, cut into 1-2 inch pieces.
2. Cut the leaves into roughly 2" chunks, dividing wider leaves in half if needed, keep the leaves and stems separated.
3. Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, water and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar completely.
4. Pound the garlic until broken into chunks, alternately smash them with the side of your knife and roughly chop.

5. In a wok, cook the garlic over medium low heat until smallest bits turn golden.
6. Add the stems and cook for about a minute.
7. Add the leaves, the sauce mixture and the white pepper and turn the heat up to high. Toss for about 30 seconds or just until the leaves are wilted.
8. Once the leaves look wilted but not totally collapsed, turn off the heat and plate immediately. Do not overcook as the leaves can become chewy; you want the leaves to still have some freshness and volume to them when you turn off the heat as they will continue to wilt on the plate.

Recipe Card

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Gai Lan Oyster Sauce Stir-Fry (Chinese Broccoli)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 28 reviews

• Author: Pailin Chongchitnant
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 3-4 servings
• Cuisine: Thai

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Ingredients

• 300 g gai lan, aka Chinese broccoli, preferably smaller stems
• 6-7 cloves garlic
• Optional: 1-2 Thai chilies, if you want it spicy
• 1½ tablespoon oyster sauce 
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
• Jasmine rice for serving

Ingredients and Kitchen Tools I Use

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Instructions

1. Cut thick gailan stems on a sharp bias into thin slices. Thinner stems can be chopped into 2-inch pieces. Once you get to the leaves, cut them into bite-sized chunks. Keep the stems and leaves separated.
2. Then add garlic and pound just until they look "shredded" (see video for visual). You can also smash the garlic with the side of your knife and roughly chop. If using chilies, pound them along with the garlic or roughly chop.
3. In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and water; stir until the sugar is dissolved.
4. In a wok, fry the garlic in a little oil over medium-low heat for a minute or so until light golden. Don't use high heat as you want the garlic to have time to soften and infuse the flavour into the oil.
5. Add gai lan stems, turn heat up to medium and cook for about 30-45 seconds.
6. Turn the heat up to high, then immediately add gai lan leaves, the sauce, white or black pepper, and cook for only about 30-45 seconds. Remove from heat immediately once the leaves look wilted but not completely collapsed. Do not overcook, the residual heat will wilt the leaves further, and the leaves also get chewy when cooked too much. 
7. Serve immediately with jasmine rice. Enjoy!

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