Braised Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) in Oyster Sauce

½ pound Chinese broccoli (gai lan)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

2 slices ginger

1 teaspoon tapioca starch

4 teaspoons water

1. Blanch the gai lan by plunging briefly into boiling water, until the stalks turn a bright green. Drain thoroughly. Separate the stalks and leaves. Cut the leaves across, and cut the stalks thinly on the diagonal.
2. Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and water. Set aside.
3. Add oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add the ginger slices. Stir-fry briefly until aromatic. Add the gai lan stalks. Stir-fry for a minute, then add the leaves. Stir-fry until the leaves turn a bright green. Add the oyster sauce mixture. Turn down the heat and cook, covered, for 4–5 minutes.
4. Mix the tapioca starch and water and add to the middle of the wok, stirring to thicken. Mix with the gai lan and serve hot.

Revamping Recipes

Want to adjust a recipe to suit your family's tastes? The easiest method is simply to double a recipe (it helps to have a second wok or frying pan ready to handle the extra volume). Often, the proportion of meat to vegetables in a Chinese recipe can be a little low for Western tastes. To add more meat, simply increase the amount of marinade, and stir-fry or deep-fry the meat in batches. Be prepared to increase the amount of sauce as well. Again, a second wok or frying pan may be needed when the meat is brought together with the vegetables and sauce in the final stages of cooking.

Stir-fried Young Bamboo Shoots

4 pieces (1 cup) peeled young bamboo shoots

1 green onion

1½ tablespoons oil for stir-frying

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1. Blanch the bamboo shoots in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly and chop into 1-inch pieces. Cut the green onion on the diagonal into 1-inch slices.
2. Add oil to a preheated wok or skillet. When oil is hot, add the bamboo shoots. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add the soy sauce, rice wine, and rice vinegar. Stir in the green onion. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Chill.

Vegetable Nomenclature

Don't let the use of common Cantonese names prevent you from sampling the colorful profusion of vegetables found in Asian markets. Anything with “choi” or “choy” in the name is a type of cabbage, while “gwa” or “gua” refers to a melon. If you're still confused, just ask; the clerks will be happy to help!