Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce is as easy as the name suggests. Crunchy greens drizzled with a sweet savoury oyster sauce will impress the whole family!
Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce recipe
If you ever see my family at a yum cha (dim sum) restaurant, there’s one dish that will ALWAYS grace the table. Yes, you guessed it – the all-time favourite, Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce.
Put a plate of this Cantonese classic in front of me and it would be devoured with no regrets. In fact, there are times when I want to eat nothing else BUT Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce.
Thankfully, this recipe satisfies every craving and ensures you can bite into perfectly crunchy vegetables tenderly coated in smooth oyster sauce at any time, not just during the first few hours of the day when yum cha restaurants open.
Don’t be fooled by this recipe’s simplicity! It may come together quickly, but you won’t find fault in its taste quality.
What you'll need for Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
- 2-3 bundles Chinese broccoli (we get it from the local Asian supermarket)
- water
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce (afflilate links)
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder (affiliate link)
- 3 cloves finely chopped garlic (optional)
- cooking oil
How to make the Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Separate each stem from the base and remove the leaf and stem tips. This will leave you with the more tender parts of the plant.
Wash the Chinese broccoli 2-3 times in lightly salted water then drain in a colander.
Bring a large pot or wok of water to a boil then cook for 3 minutes or until the stem is tender but still crisp when snapped.
Combine the oyster sauce, sugar and chicken bouillon powder in a bowl.
Bring a small skillet to a medium heat and add some cooking oil. When hot, pour in the sauce mixture. Keep stirring as it bubbles. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add water 2 tbp at a time.
Optional: brown the garlic in cooking oil.
To serve, plate the Chinese broccoli and pour the sauce on top. Enjoy with rice or as is!
More vegetable dishes worth checking out
Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) with Oyster Sauce
Ingredients
- 2-3 bundles Chinese broccoli (we get it from the local Asian supermarket)
- water
- 2 tsp oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce (afflilate links)
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder (affiliate link)
- 3 cloves finely chopped garlic optional
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Separate each stem from the base and remove the leaf and stem tips.
- Wash the Chinese broccoli 2-3 times in lightly salted water then drain in a colander.
- Bring a large pot or wok of water to a boil then boil for 3 minutes or until the stem is tender but still crisp when snapped.
- Combine the oyster sauce, sugar and chicken bouillon powder in a bowl.
- Bring a small skillet to a medium heat and add some cooking oil. When hot, pour in the sauce mixture. Keep stirring as it bubbles. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add water 2 tbp at a time.
- Optional: brown the garlic in cooking oil.
- To serve, plate the Chinese broccoli and pour the sauce on top. Enjoy with rice or as is!
People always think of Chinese food as meat heavy but I’m the same as you, I LOVE their simple dishes made with fresh leafy green veggies. This is a winner for sure!
Simple leafy greens recipes are the best! It’s one way to cut back on the oil many Chinese recipes have 😉
I’m always looking for new ways to prepare vegetables. This looks delicious!
Thanks, Maayke! I hope you enjoy this!
I’ve never had Chinese broccoli but I love trying and adding new green veggies to my meals. Thanks for this tip. Saved it now!
It’s a great vegetable that holds its crunchiness after being cooked. I definitely recommend trying it out!
I love the sound of this, such a great side dish idea!
Thanks, Amy!
Beautiful photos! And this sauce it’s amazing! I bet it goes perfect with other veggies as well. This is a keeper!
Thanks, Ana!
Hey Jeannette, delicious recipe. I tried Gai Lan for the first time and it was very delicious. I didn’t have chicken bouillon powder at home so I used chicken broth in place of it. However, the recipe was still delicious. What do you think, Using chicken broth makes any change in the taste of the recipe?
Hi Ella! Thanks for trying out this recipe! It’s wonderful that you were able to think of a substitute for the chicken bouillon powder. Chicken broth will work well too because chicken bouillon powder is just a very concentrated version of that.
The recipe will be much milder with chicken broth instead of chicken bouillon powder, but if it tasted good then I don’t see why you can’t use chicken broth too! 😀