Recipe from Cambodia: Sauté of kailan and mushrooms with oyster sauce

The word ‘kailan’ (in Khmer ខាត់ណា [khat-na]) refers to a vegetable from the Brassica family, known by the binomial name Brassica oleracea var. albogloabra; it is also known in French as ‘brocoli chinois’. Very common in the cuisine of southern China, this green vegetable is also widely known in Cambodia.

Kailan, or Chinese broccoli

In China, it is usually steamed whole and seasoned with clear soy sauce. In Cambodia, housewives tend to prepare it sautéed; they cut the thick stem into slices a few millimetres thick and roughly chop the leafy part into bite-sized pieces.

As a rule, the cut kailan is blanched in boiling water before being sautéed. The most common way of preparing kailan in Cambodia is to combine it with sliced mushrooms known as volvaceous volvaries (in Khmer ផ្សិតចំបើង [phsit châmbaeung], available in all Cambodian markets). The main condiment used in this dish is oyster sauce.

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Ingredients

• 300 g kailan

• 200 g mushrooms

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon caster sugar (if using)

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce

Preparation

• After cutting and rinsing the kailan under running water, blanch them in salted water, drain and set aside. Wash the mushrooms and cut into slices

• Pour the oil into the wok or frying pan and heat over a high heat

• Brown the minced garlic

• Once the garlic is golden, add the sliced mushrooms and then the pieces of kailan, stir-fry for three to four minutes, then add the soy sauce and, if desired, the sugar

• Once the vegetables are cooked, add the oyster sauce, mix well, arrange and serve

Sauté of kailan and mushrooms with oyster sauce

Tips:

When the kailan stem is very large, it is advisable to peel it as the skin is a little stringy. Oyster sauce has a fairly mild flavour. It is not necessary to add sugar.

Light soy sauce is quite salty, so be sure to use the right amount. Some recipes recommend thickening the sauce with cornflour diluted in water.

In our humble opinion, as the sauce made with oyster sauce already has a certain consistency, the addition of starch seems superfluous. White rice goes perfectly with this delicious vegetable stir-fry.

Text and photographs : Pascal Médeville