Oyster sauce nicely complements the slightly bittersweet taste of Chinese broccoli (gai lan). Blanching turns Chinese broccoli a beautiful jade green, but you can use reqular broccoli if it's not available.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

10 ounces Chinese broccoli (gai lan)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 slice ginger (about 1/2-inch thick)
Sauce:
3 tablespoons chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Preparation:

Wash the Chinese broccoli. Cut off the ends if not already trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces (about 2 inches long).
In a large saucepan, add enough water to cover the broccoli. Add the salt, baking soda and ginger. Bring to a boil.
While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the sauce. Combine the chicken broth or water, oyster sauce, rice wine or dry sherry and sugar. Bring to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn the heat down and keep warm while blanching the broccoli.
Add the Chinese broccoli to the boiling water. Cook until the stalks are tender but crisp (3 - 4 minutes). Rinse in cold running water. Drain.
Pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately.