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!
- Slice thicker gai lan stems on a sharp diagonal. For thinner stems, cut into 1-2 inch pieces.
- Cut the leaves into roughly 2" chunks, dividing wider leaves in half if needed, keep the leaves and stems separated.
- Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, water and sugar; stir to dissolve the sugar completely.
- Pound the garlic until broken into chunks, alternately smash them with the side of your knife and roughly chop.
- In a wok, cook the garlic over medium low heat until smallest bits turn golden.
- Add the stems and cook for about a minute.
- 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.
- 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.
Pro tip: Preventing Chewy Gai Lan
Chinese broccoli, especially older ones, can be chewy, but this isn't a problem if you know how to deal with them. As shown in the video, you want to make sure you slice any thick stems thinly (on a diagonal so you still get nice large pieces) and then you won't need to peel the stems as some people do to avoid the toughness.
For the leaves, make sure you only cook them until they're wilted but have not totally collapsed; they should still have some volume and freshness to them. Once this happens, remove them from the pan immediately. Cooking gai lan for a long time can make leaves clumpy and chewy.
Also, remember to choose smaller, younger gai lan when you're at the store if possible!
Watch The Full Video Tutorial!
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video below to ensure success - and if you enjoy the show, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel. Thank you!
Recipe Card
Print
Gai Lan Oyster Sauce Stir-Fry (Chinese Broccoli)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
- Cuisine: Thai
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
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Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and water; stir until the sugar is dissolved.
- 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.
- Add gai lan stems, turn heat up to medium and cook for about 30-45 seconds.
- 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.
- Serve immediately with jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Kellina says
The best gai lan stir fry I ever made! Thank you so much for sharing this easy recipe!
Ryan Luedtke says
Very delicious and quick stir fry! I added 2 thai chilis but will add more next time for extra heat. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Gianna says
Made it tonight and loved it. I cooked the gai lan for 2 minutes instead of the recommended 45s because we like our veggies a little softer. Excellent!
Zhe-Ann Lau says
Absolutely amazing! This has earned a permanent spot as our side dish during dinner at least once a week. A great way to enjoy a big plate of greens! Thank you Pailin. 😄
Jimmy says
I had a big bunch of fresh green beans and wanted to find something different to do with them. I almost always have Thai chilis on hand, so this seemed worth a try. I similarly cut them on a long sharp bias, and otherwise followed this exactly. It might technically be a totally different dish, but it’s also my new hands-down favorite way to prepare green beans. They stole the meal! So, thank you!
George says
Tonight I made it with chopped shallot instead of garlic. Walkin’ on the wild side -
George says
I have been making a lot of this recipe because our local Thai store almost always has Gai Lan for sale and we have gotten fond of it. An easy, fun dish to make.
Eating well in Fort Wayne, IN😋
LIZA says
This turned out really good. Im a picky eater. Thank you!
Gigi says
Had some gailan on hand and was going to steam w/oyster sauce on the side, but this was so much better! Served it along w/some homemade char siu and rice. Thx for sharing it.
Ottawa fam says
Made this tonight over jasmine rice and it was AMAZING. So simple, yet so delicious. BOTH of my twins loved it. That almost never happens : )
Denise says
Didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, so made this substituting bok choy, and then Golden Mountain sauce (for the soy sauce). Absolutely delicious!
Tim Doughty says
This is the first time I have cooked a vegetable with the coarsely pounded shards of garlic. To be honest, I was afraid my partner would see them and be shocked. but cooked this way they are tender and sweet. Thanks again for another great cooking skill!
Zindzi says
Made this last night and it came out TERRIFIC. Thanks for the tip on not overcooking the leaves!
Jared Moody says
I am going to make Pad Mama today, I was going to substitute the cabbage with Gai Lan. Will this recipe do well and add it at the very end of the Pad Mama process?
Lisa says
Just made this and it’s delicious! I wouldn’t change anything. Thanks for the recipe!
jon says
I've made this plenty of times but wondered how it might hold up if made a day ahead.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
You'll need to reheat it so it will be a more wilty and not as fresh, but will still taste fine.
Mercedes says
This is delicious! I used the chilis to make it spicy and because i travel tomorrow i added shitaki mushrooms so they didnt go to waste. Gai lan is one of my favorite greens. I usually use it in my chicken pho and add more gai lan than noodles because I like the flavor and texture so much. I am so happy I have another delicious way to make this gai lan since it is almost always in my fridge.
Frank says
This is the first time that I have made gai lan your way. This is also the first time that EVERYONE (6 people at the table) loved it. In the past there was always a few negative or just neutral comments. Thanks for the great and simple recipe. Ah yes, I added a half teaspoon of Guilin Chili sauce.
Pailin Chongchitnant says
So glad to hear!!!
Brooke says
Oh my goodness! This was amazing!
Adam The HTK Minion says
That's great to hear! 🙂
Davara says
I followed the directions except I tripled the sauce and garlic. Added some shrimp and we had it over rice. It is delicious and will be making it frequently. I'm thinking I will make the sauce for just putting over rice.
I need to look for more of your recipes now.
Meghan says
This was delicious! My stepmom is Thai and it was very helpful to have measured amounts of the ingredients as her way of showing me how to cook is “add it until it tastes right” lol! I appreciate the precision and ratios so that there is consistency. Could you please tell me what the name of the tabletop gas element that you use is called? I have an porcelain electric stovetop and can never get my wok hot enough. Thank you in advance!
Kathryn says
Delicious and so easy! Added shrimp and rice to make it a meal and it was a huge hit.
Giselle says
Hi, do you think Bok choy would work with this recipe? Thanks!
Anne Dean says
I made this tonight with Baby broccoli and I used Calabrian peppers because I can not find Chinese broccoli or Thai chilis where I live. I have to say that it was simple and delicious! Thank you!
Hendrik says
Hello Giselle,
I've made this with choy sum, bok choy, cima di rapa (a mediterranean member of the brassica family) and even broccoli florets with great success. Only with gai lan I have never made it. So, just go for it!
Futile Resistance says
Gai lan is my fave stir fry veg, it's absolutely fantastic. In this dish it is allowed to sing like a prime Freddie Mercury
Theo says
Wat is een bias?
Futile Resistance says
It's just a fancy way of saying to cut it diagonally. See the video at 2:15 for demo
Whaley says
Cutting the stems on the bias means cutting the stems into diagonal slices. You create not only more cooking surface area, but also a better presentation.
Piet says
Schuin snijden..
Erna says
I would like to share some information about Chinese broccoli. All green vegetables have all of the macronutrients in them: protein, carbohydrate, and fat. Chinese broccoli is 13% high quality protein, 27% fat and 60% carbohydrate.
American broccoli is 20% protein, 9% fat, and 71% carbohydrate.
It is misinformation that vegetables do not have quality protein in them. Think about this: How do grazing animals like elephants, zebra, giraffes, hippopotamus, deer, elk, antelope . . you get the idea . . . grow so big on only greens? Where do they get their protein? From the greens that they eat. Protein is in every plant on earth and this is where all mammals ultimately get their protein. Where do you think cows get THEIR protein?
Please consider that vegetables ARE protein just as beans, legumes, rice are as well.
Thanks!!
Michael says
Thank you very much for that useful information! You make a very good point about plant protein.
Me says
Sorry, Michael, but Erna's post is misleading pseudoscientific drivel, not useful information. Please do your own - proper - research.
Owen says
Gai lan Nutritional information (aka FACTS) for 100gms:
Calories: 22
Protein: 1.1g
Carbohydrate: 3.8g
Fat: 0.7g
Source:WebMd/Fitbit/Nutrionix... etc, etc, etc... or just search Google.
"How do grazing animals... grow so big on only greens?"
They eat VAST amounts of them, spending most of their day eating. The cud is swallowed, fermented, regurgitated, swallowed again (depending on the animal this happens multiple times in their multiple stomachs) in order to extract the sparse amount of nutrients. Rabbits even eat their own faeces so as to extract all they can, since vegetation is so calorie poor.
Perhaps a bit of research wouldnt go amiss before posting misinformation.
Stephen Chan says
A go-to dish if your mains need to pair up with a little bit more delicious veggies!
Arlene Rafiq says
This is by far my favourite recipe. It's simple and yet very tasty. My only problem is eating too much rice with it. I've cooked this many times following Pailin's recipe and always it had been satisfying.
Asia says
I made this tonight and it was really good. I had to add a little bit of salt but I love my salt. My son who is 19 tasted it and said this taste good what is it. I said Chinese broccoli. He said not bad. He hates broccoli. Thanks for the recipe.
Luke Parlor says
A solid staple of a side dish, super tasty.