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Gai Lan: Malcolm Jolley looks for another kind leafy green.

If you've ever wondered why your "Beef with Broccoli" stir-fry was never quite as good as the ones in Chinese restaurants, no matter how much oyster sauce you applied, it's probably because the good stuff isn't made with broccoli at all, but with Gai Lan. Gai Lan is sometimes called Chinese broccoli or Chinese Kale or Gai Lon and the list goes on. Similar (at least to Western eyes) in appearance to rapini, Gai Lan shares a pungent leafy green taste with the bitter members of the family brassica.

Alan Davidson remarks, in the OCF:

When young and tender (in bud but not in flower), Chinese Kale may be cooked whole by boiling or steaming, like broccoli. Slightly older shoots have a better flavour, but their stems may need peeling and chopping. The latter is anyway necessary before stir-frying, the usual Chinese method of cooking this vegetable.

The Greater Toronto area is said to have the second highest urban concentration of people of Chinese heritage in North America, after the San Francisco Bay Area, and finding Gai Lan shouldn't be too hard if you live close one of the GTA's many Chinatowns. Gremolata has even seen the green stalks and leaves in major super market chains. And, of course, most independent grocers depend on trips for deliveries from The Ontario Food Terminal, so simply ask your local store to have their "guy" (ahem, or "girl") pick it up for you. It's still a long winter ahead and we can't eat spinach, broccoli or chard every night.