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Kailan with Oyster Sauce & Garlic Chips

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Servings 4 people, as a side

Ingredients
  

For blanching the kailan

  • 300 g Kai Lan, or baby Kai Lan or an other leafy green vegetable really
  • 1½ l Boiling water
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Sesame Oil

For the garlic chips

  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and sliced thinly (¼cm thick)
  • 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil

For the oyster sauce (aka brown sauce)

  • 1 tsp corn or potato flour / starch
  • ¼ cup room temperature water or broth if you have any leftover in the fridge
  • 1 tbsp soya sauce
  • 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • Dash of white pepper
  • all the oil that you fried your garlic chips in

Instructions
 

Blanching the Kailan

  • First, prepare your vegetables. I would trim the bottom end off (c.¼cm off each), and then place all the vegetables in a large bowl to soak. After a few minutes, shake them around in the water to agitate before draining. I would rinse them a couple more times before draining and setting aside.
  • If you have thicker stems, you make choose to split each one lengthwise down the middle so you have 2 equal (and more manageable) portions of leaf & stem. It's important that they are all roughly the same thickness so they cook evenly.
  • Bring your water to a boil on the stovetop and add sesame oil and salt.
  • When ready, place vegetables into the boiling water and let blanche for about 4 - 5 minutes. Flip the whole bunch around halfway.
  • Drain well, and set aside.

Garlic chips

  • Heat 1 tbsp of neutral oil in a (nonstick) saucepan on high heat until smoking. You definitely want your pot to be small enough such that the oil is not too spread out and allows the garlic to be fully submerged.
  • Place sliced garlic into the hot oil, turn down heat slightly but that it is still bubbling away around the garlic chips. Let fry until golden brown.
  • Prepare a paper towel on a plate, scoop out the garlic chips using a slotted spoon and set them on the paper towel.
  • RESERVE THE OIL FOR YOUR SAUCE! Just set it aside to cool slightly.

Oyster sauce & serving

  • Mix corn or potato flour / starch with 1/4 cup of room temperature water in a mug or bowl until all smooth.
  • Into the same mug or bowl, add soya sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, oyster sauce & white pepper. Mix well.
  • Place the pot used for your garlic chips, with the oil in it, back over the cooker and add your sauce mixture you just prepared in the mug or bowl.
  • Turn the heat on low, and stir continuously.
  • After a few minutes, you should see some small bubbles starting to form at the top and your sauce will start to thicken.
  • If you don't stir continuously, you risk getting starchy clumps and noone wants that.
    As a few larger bubbles start to form, your sauce will likely be to the right consistency. You decide!
  • When ready, turn off the heat. If your saucepan is large enough, you make want to mix back in all the cooked kailan before plating onto your serving dish. Otherwise, you can also just place your kailan on your serving dish and pour the sauce over.
    Top with the garlic chips your prepared earlier.
  • Serve with rice, or as one of the dishes for a family style meal!