Andrew's ingredient of the month -- Gailan

Gailan -- or Chinese broccoli -- is a member of the brassica family of edible plants, just like broccoli, rapini, cauliflower, kale or cabbage. Gailan looks a lot like rapini, except the stems are firmer with a glossy tougher skin and the tops are more compact.

Each stem has two or three leaves attached; they look like small collard leaves, but are much more tender. All summer, Canadians can get locally grown gailan, but I was surprised to see tender and delicious hot-house grown local gailan in the last few weeks of March; especially baby gailan, which is particularly delicious. This availability says something about the popularity of the vegetable among Chinese home cooks and other Asians.

How to buy gailan
Gailan occasionally graces the vegetable aisles of our chain supermarkets, but you might have to find it at a Chinese grocery store. Look for unblemished stalks with tightly closed flowerheads (not the pretty white flowers of older gailan). Check to see that the cut ends of the stalks aren't excessively dry.Baby gailan, the stalks of which are only 2- to 4-inches (5 to 10 cm) long, should look fresh and lively; as if just picked. If you are buying it in Chinatown, make sure not to confuse it with Chinese rapeweed (tsoisam or tsaixin), another popular Chinese vegetable that looks more like rapini with its feathered leaves and tender skin.

Gailan is slightly more bitter than broccoli, and it doesn't have such a strong cabbagey flavour. It has a more resilient and toothsome texture than rapini.

How to cook gailan
The stems of thicker gailan are best peeled before cooking. This is an easy job with a vegetable peeler; just cut off the leaves and then peel almost to the flowerheads. It's best to blanch gailan in vigorously boiling, salted water before stir-frying.

Many Chinese people enjoy gailan simply boiled until tender-crisp, drained and topped with oyster sauce. Just as often, the blanched gailan is quickly stir-fried in a little oil and garlic. The stems can be stir-fried whole or cut into pieces.

Gailan also adapts well to Western cooking techniques; any recipe for broccoli or rapini is suitable.

Click to continue for nutrition facts on gailan...

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Thai-style gailan
Gailan is also one of the most popular vegetables in Thai cooking. It is most usually cut into pieces and stir-fried with lots of garlic, chillies and salt-fish.

Thai cooks don't use the mild salt fish (cod, haddock or Pollack)that we are accustomed to in Canada, but the half-fermented and highly aromatic (some would say stinky) salted Pacific kingfish or mackerel.

It might be an acquired taste, but once you have acquired it, it is impossible to shake off. This has become one of my all-time favourite vegetable dishes and is a standby in my household to serve with plenty of steamed rice.