Gai lan (Chinese broccoli)

Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra

vegetable · leaf

Fleshy stems, bluish leaves and small buds of a southern Chinese cabbage, the same species as broccoli, slightly bitter; blanched or stir-fried. It provides glucosinolates.

Origin

Southern China

Season (United States)

October to April · grows in your region

Preparation

The thick stems are peeled at the base, like broccoli; everything else is cooked together. Short steaming keeps its glucosinolates; long boiling carries them off. Most of its goitrogens go with cooking, even a short one.

Molecules

Glucoraphanin → sulforaphaneWhat slows things down Goitrogens

Did you know?

In Korea it is stir-fried with tteokbokki, glutinous rice cakes, pork and gochujang sauce.