Recipe - Kai Lan (kale) With Oyster Sauce And Crispy Garlic

Kai lan or kale is being recognised for its store of nutrients, health benefits and delicious flavour. It has a high concentration of vitamins A, C and K and sulphur containing plant nutrients. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorous. Dark green colour vegetables like kai lan, broccoli and spinach are also a good source of calcium.

Along with being an excellent source of antioxidant nutrients beta-carotene and vitamin C, kale is also packed with cell-protecting glucosinolates and sulforaphane, as well as sight-saving lutein. 

In this recipe, the kai lan is blanched and served with oyster sauce. Crispy garlic and crispy shallots are added on top to make this a crunchy and flavourful dish.


Ingredients:
200 grams of kai lan
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of crispy shallots, made ahead
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of oil

Method:
Prepare the crispy garlic first.

Put the chopped garlic in a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of oil to cover the garlic.
Microwave on high for about 2 minutes.
Start with 1 minute and 30 seconds. If it is not yet light brown, reheat for a further 30 seconds.
The garlic should be golden brown and crispy.

For the kai lan, separate the leaves from the stem
Peel off the thick skin from the stem. The stems are nicer to eat without the thick skin.

In a pot of boiling water, toss in the stems and let them boil for about 3 minutes.
Add in the leaves and bring the water to a boil. They should be done.
(Some chefs add a dash of oil and a dash of salt to make the leaves look radiant)

Put the kai lan on a serving plate, add the oyster sauce and mix well.
Spoon the crispy garlic and oil over the kai lan.
Spoon the crispy shallots and serve.

This 2 minute video shows how to blanch the kai lan. For my recipe I add crispy garlic and crispy shallots.



This next video is from Taiwan and is in Taiwanese, a mixture of hokkien and mandarin.
It is a pity that the chef did not add crispy garlic which would have given the dish a lift.
Still, it is nice.



In this 2 minute video, the kai lan is stir fried with garlic, oyster sauce and sesame oil.
Nicer to peel off the skins from the stem.