Kai Lan Stirfry with Chicken

Kai lan/ Gai lahn/ Chinese kale / Chinese Broccoli/ Green Lance belongs to the mustard family and is great for stir fry. The best Kai lan I’ve tasted was in Newton Hawker Centre/ Food Court, Singapore…..reminds me of my days in Singapore. I made this recipe with kai lan, chicken and soya sauce. It was delicious with steamed rice – a sumptuous lunch.

Serves 2

10 Kai lan tips

1/4 cup Red peppers (thinly sliced)

1 cup Chicken breast (thinly sliced)

1 tablespoon Soysauce (divided) * I used low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon Oyster sauce (optional)

1 teaspoon Garlic (finely minced)

1 teaspoon Ginger (finely minced)

2 tablespoons Sesame oil

1 1/2  teaspoon Cornstarch (divided)

1/4 teaspoon Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Honey

3 tablespoon plus half a pot of water for blanching

a dash of Pepper powder

a pinch of Baking soda

Salt to taste

Method

• Rinse kai lan and slice into 1.5 inch length pieces. Slit thick stems lengthwise for even cooking.
• Marinate the sliced chicken with ½ teaspoon cornstarch, pepper, salt , sugar and a dash of soy sauce.
• Make a slurry with remaining cornstarch and  3 tablespoons of water.
• Bring half a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a drizzle of oil and  baking soda.
• Blanch the kai lan in boiling water for 30 seconds or until tender, but crunchy. Rinse over cold water and drain. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a wok on medium heat.Add in marinated chicken and stir fry till the changes color from pink to white. Check for donenness. Remove chicken and keep it aside.
• Put ginger and garlic in the wok, stir fry for a few seconds. Add kai lan and red peppers, continue to stir fry for a couple of minutes.
• Now add soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey and a little salt. Continue to stir fry till vegetables are tender, but still green. Take care not to over fry.
• Add the slurry to the wok to thicken sauce. Transfer the vegetables with the sauce to a serving plate.
• Top it with the sliced chicken or you can mix the chicken with the vegetables. Serve hot with rice or noodles.

* Omit chicken and oyster sauce for a no meat meal.