Stir Fried Hong Kong Kai Lan with Prawns

I like Hong Kong Kai Lan (chinese kale). This vegetable is tender and crunchy to the bite and is not as “fibrous” as the usual Kai Lan. I do wonder whether these Hong Kong Kai Lan are genetically modified to its current size since it looks like a baby kai lan. Even the Hong Kong Choy Sum also tastes as good.

Anyway, one of the most common way of cooking this vegetable is to add fresh prawns into the dish. The prawns lend a sweetness to the dish and a contrasting texture as well. But really, even if you can’t get your hands on fresh prawns, you can also omit it altogether.

This is my recipe for Stir Fried Hong Kong Kai Lan with Prawns

Ingredients

• 200 grammes of Hong Kong Kai Lan (washed thoroughly and separate leaves from stem. Slice the stems lengthwise)
• 10 to 15 medium sized prawns (devein and shelled, you can leave the tails intact if you want)
• 6 slices of ginger (diced)
• 5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 30 ml warm water
• Corn starch (add 1 tablespoon corn flour to 3 tablespoons of water and mix well)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Cooking oil (palm oil)

Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons chinese cooking wine

Method

Heat oil in wok and fry ginger till aromatic. Add garlic and prawns and stir fry till prawns begin to turn colour. Add kai lan stems. Stir fry for about 20 seconds.

Add the kai lan leaves. Stir well and add seasoning. Add warm water and continue to stir fry till leaves turn dark green colour and limp. Add a little bit of corn starch if gravy too runny for your liking.

Serve warm preferably with white rice

Technorati Tags: Recipe, Vegetable, Prawns, Chinese, Malaysia