Gai lan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gai lan |
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Gai lan
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| Species | Brassica oleracea |
| Cultivar group | Alboglabra Group |
| Origin | unknown |
| Gai lan | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Gai lan" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 芥蘭 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 芥兰 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | jièlán | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jyutping | gaai3 laan4*2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | mustard orchid | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Burmese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Burmese | ကိုက်လန် | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vietnamese | cải làn or cải rổ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thai name | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thai | คะน้า [kʰā.náː] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| RTGS | khana | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Gai lan, kai-lan, Chinese broccoli, Chinese kale, or jie lan (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) is a leaf vegetable with thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems, and florets similar to (but much smaller than) broccoli. Another Brassica oleracea cultivar, gai lan is in the group alboglabra (from Latin albus "white" and glabrus "hairless"). When gone to flower, its white blossoms resemble that of its cousin Matthiola incana or Hoary Stock. The flavor is very similar to that of broccoli, but noticeably stronger and slightly more bitter.
Contents
Hybrids
Broccolini is a hybrid between broccoli and gai lan.
Cultivation
Gai lan can be sown in late summer for early-winter harvesting. Seedlings planted in autumn will last all winter. As with other brassicas, gai lan is harvested and consumed just as its white flowers start to bloom, as the stems can become woody and tough when the plant bolts.
Uses
Gai lan is eaten widely in Chinese cuisine, common preparations include gai lan stir-fried with ginger and garlic, and boiled or steamed and served with oyster sauce. It is also common in Vietnamese, Burmese and Thai cuisine.
In Americanized Chinese food, gai lan was frequently replaced by broccoli, when gai lan was not available.
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Gai lan
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Baby gai lan served Cantonese style
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Phat khana mu krop: Thai style fried Chinese broccoli with crispy pork belly
See also
In Spanish: Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra para niños
