This is a recipe for the Chinese Broccoli dish that is one of the most popular vegetable dishes at Yum Cha (Dim Sum). Steamed Chinese Broccoli (called Gai Lan) drizzled with a fabulous garlic ginger Oyster Sauce. Despite what you may read in other recipes, it’s not just plain Oyster Sauce – you need other flavourings!
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Real “restaurant style” Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce is NOT just oyster sauce (despite what you will read in many recipes claiming it is that simple!).
A sauce made with just oyster sauce will just taste of that – plain oyster sauce dolloped on greens. And if you’re happy with that, then there’s no need to read further because this recipe for real Restaurant Style Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce has more than 1 ingredient in the sauce!
What it tastes like – Steamed Chinese Broccoli tastes like broccolini stems with spinach leaves. Smothered in a sweet-savoury garlic ginger sauce that will make anything delicious, it’s no wonder this is the most popular vegetable dish at Yum Cha!
This is the steamed Chinese Greens dish that is pushed around in rattling trolleys at Yum Cha!
Chinese Broccoli (“Gai Lan”)
Here’s a good look at the Chinese broccoli, raw. The Chinese name is Gai Lan.
It’s called Chinese broccoli because the stem has the same texture as broccoli. The leaves look and taste like spinach leaves – but they’re thicker.
Chinese Broccoli needs to be cooked before eaten and is most commonly steamed (this recipe) or stir fried (like in this Vegetable Stir Fry and Pad See Ew Thai Stir Fried Noodles).
What goes in the Oyster Sauce
Here’s what you need for the Oyster Sauce.
The Chinese cooking wine (aka Shaoxing wine) is the key ingredient that adds depth of flavour and complexity to the sauce. Substitute with Mirin or Dry Sherry. If you can’t consume alcohol, substitute with chicken stock.
Restaurants typically use quite a bit of oil when serving this dish – you can usually see it pooled on the plate. I have significantly reduced the amount of oil used, and believe me, you won’t miss it at all. It is the sauce that is the star of this dish. You don’t need oil (well, not very much).
How to make Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Here’s how to make it. I tend to microwave steam vegetables, for sheer convenience. But feel free to use any method that’s most convenient for you.
What to serve with Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
I make this as a side dish to Asian meals quite regularly because it’s so fast to prepare and will pair with any Asian cuisine. I also like that I can make a scaled up batch of the Sauce and keep it in the fridge (around 5 days) and I use it to douse any plain steamed vegetables!
Here are some meal suggestions incorporating these Chinese greens:
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Make a meal out of dumplings like Potstickers, Shumai or Gyoza with a side of this Chinese Broccoli and some Fried Rice;
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Add it as a vegetable side for stir fries that are low on vegetables, like Honey Pepper Beef, Vietnamese Caramel Pork Bowls or Asian Beef Bowls;
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Serve alongside Asian mains like Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork), Crispy Chinese Pork Belly, Vietnamese Caramel Chicken, Sticky Chinese Wings.
There’s certainly no shortage of possibilities! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Restaurant Style Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Chinese broccoli ("Gai Lan") (Note 1)
Oyster Sauce
- 1 tsp corn flour / corn starch
- 6 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (sub Mirin or Dry Sheer, Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola or peanut)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 clove garlic , finely grated
- 1 tsp ginger , finely grated
Instructions
- Trim ends off Chinese Broccoli. If any stems are super thick, cut them in half (you want all stems approximately the same width).
- Steam Chinese Broccoli using whatever method you want - I microwave in a steamer on high for 4 minutes. The stem should be just cooked - not super soft and floppy.
- Stack the Chinese broccoli together and cut into 4"/10cm lengths, then stack neatly on top of each other.
Oyster Sauce
- Combine water and corn flour in small saucepan, mix to dissolve.
- Then add remaining ingredients, turn stove onto medium and bring to boil. Boil for 30 seconds to allow to thicken, then remove from stove.
- Drizzle over Chinese broccoli and serve. Best served warm.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published 2014, updated with new photos and video in February 2020.
Life of Dozer
Appropriate that this is one of this favourite toys!
I’ve been wondering for a long time how to cook the Chinese whole fish and this receipe did definitely hit the spot. Thank you very much !
Wahoo that’s great Siham!
Thank you Nagi. I have wanted to know this for years and I now make it often. We have a big home garden and we have an abundance of purple sprouting broccoli which looks a bit like gai lan and is delicious with this sauce. I agree that Plain oyster sauce is not nice
Wahoo! Perfect Sue!!!
Hi Sue was great to see you grow sprouting broccoli I just planted seed ,,Yodeled Fat a Chinese Broccoli,and purple Choy a great source for seed is Bakers Creek and Victory Seed ,Heirloom seeds also planted Mizuna green and red ,,,
Great way of cooking greens- never knew this method, so quick and easy. Sauce is tasty too. Had this as a side to the Char Sui Pork…… Whoa……. Delicious combination. Mmmmmm….. 😋 😋
The perfect combo Kyra!
Just made it tonight. It was great!! Family approved. It had more flavor than the ones I’ve tried in restaurants. Thanks!
Great to hear, Jasmin! – Nx
I picked broccolini and snap peas from the garden, added these to Gai Lan and this Oyster Sauce to make a delicious easy and quick dinner meal served with dumplings. Thanks Nagi 😘
Sounds great Lisa!
Can you use this sauce for just a vegetable stir fry in oyster sauce like the restaurants serve?
Yes definitely Laurie!
Nagi, you did it again! It really does taste just like in the restaurants. This is my favorite way to have broccoli when I want it to have a little more oomph (I’m typically just eating the broccoli and some rice as a quick dinner), and now I’ll never have to order out for it again! Super easy, perfect flavor, and it uses ingredients I keep in the house. 5 stars aren’t enough!
Thanks so much for the awesome feedback Nichelle!
You really shouldn’t steam your veggies that way, because the cling wrap is not meant to be heated up like that. You don’t want to be eating plastic molecules. You can use a plain glass bowl with a tablespoon or two of water and a lid… I have a plastic lid that is meant for the microwave, or you can use a glass lid if you have one that will work with your bowl. Same effect, but much safer.
You can definitely do that if you prefer!
It is safe to wrap your vegetables and meat and microwave but you must choose cling wrap that is FDA approved and says “microwave proof”.
Hi Nagi, thoroughly enjoying your recipes. We will be using this one tomorrow for a yum cha at home. I will be doing about 4 it 5 bunches of Gai Lan. Do I simply quadruple every ingredient of the sauce? And can the sauce be prepared earlier and reheated? Thanks!
Hi Evan, you can definitely prep the sauce ahead of time, then just steam away and serve! If you slide the serving scale in the recipe you can adjust the servings and the ingredients will scale for you – N x
Thx Nagi for gai lan recipe. Simple & quick & yummy. What I always wanted to know is the mixture of sauce for the restaurant style Cantonese Chow Mein. Pls provide me. Thank you.
Hi Suzy, I’m so glad you loved it! You can also find my chow mien here: https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-chow-mein/
Absolutely delicious, thank you Nagi!
The flavour lingers as I write 😋
Glad you enjoyed it Jane! Thanks for letting me know – N x
Food stores are very limited for me as I live on a barrier island
Where do I get chinese brocolli (kai lan)?
I get it from my local supermarket! What about broccolini? Similar shape and flavour
Yummmmm yum yum yum!
Gai lan is one of our must have dim sum dishes and this is just delish. Who’d have ever thought of the microwave trick except you?!
Quick, easy, minimal dishes … went down a treat. Thank you x
WOOT! Great to hear Brigette!
Thank you Nagi!
I’m having this for tea right now and it’s amazing!
So great to hear Amanda!! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
I’ve used your recipe 3 times, and each time it gets better. Thank you for posting!
I’m so pleased to hear that Steve! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
Hi Nagi,
So happy to see this recipe! I used to live in Asia and Kai Lan is my favorite! But, I’ve never been able to duplicate it at home. And steaming my Kai Lan has often resulted in wimpy wilted leaves with tough under cooked stems. So I am going to try this out. As always, thank you for all of the GREAT recipes! I’ve made several and have many more to try!!
Hope you love it Beth!! 🙂 N x
yes it a beautiful sauce,and the microwave veg trick works perfectly
I tried this and it was absoloutely delicious! New fan of your website.
Thanks Kiki! N x
Hi Nagi great recipe…my son loves it…just a quick question on the quantity of kailan as bunch size is subjective…may be a specified weight would make things clear.Thanks.
Hi Sonu, thanks for the question! I will try to remember for next time I make this! N xx
Where do you put the corn flour??
Step 4 🙂
May i ask, what brand of oyster sauce and soy sauce you use. Do you use shaoxing wine, what brand. thank you
Hi My! I use all sorts of brands, I can’t remember the ones I get from the Asian store but from the supermarket, I often use Lee Kum Kee 🙂
Hi Nagi,
I noticed in your Nando’s Portuguese Chicken Burgers recipe that you mentioned that the marinade for the Chinese broccoli could also be used for chicken. Could you please tell me how I could do this for 1kg of chicken thigh fillets, I’m just unsure of what amount of the marinade to use and how long to marinade for before cooking?
P.S. I just love your website which has been a godsend for livening up the meals in our family (think we’d be up to using about 20 of your recipes)
Hi Daniel! I’m so confused – where was I talking about Chinese broccoli sauce in a Portuguese Chicken Burger recipe??? Am I losing it??? 🙂 N x
Sorry I should’ve been more clear. It was in the Nando’s Portuguese Chicken Burgers recipe when you were talking about the five recipes you created for super food ideas magazine; number 3: “Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce and Marinated Chicken”.
Oh, gotcha! It was for a “double duty” feature, I remember now 🙂 So using this recipe, exclude the Chinese broccoli, cornflour and water. The remaining ingredients makes a great marinade, enough for around 250g/8oz of chicken, so scale it up for as much chicken as you want. Add sriracha or fresh or crushed chilli for heat if you want. Marinate overnight then cook on the stove or BBQ. It’s SO GOOD! So the way I did it was a “double duty” was to triple the base marinade recipe, use 1/3 for the Chinese broccoli sauce by adding cornflour and water and the remainder I used as marinade. 🙂