STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE
Many years ago, while we was living in the UK, a friend came with his mum to visit my family. His mum knew we were missing home, so she kindly whipped up a lovely dish of crispy kai lan for me. It was amazing to see how she made the Kai Lan vegetable, usually an accompaniment, as the main star! Needless to say, it was delicious and I’ll always remember her when I cook this dish.
Nowadays, it is common for most restaurants to serve yin yang kai lan or kai lan cooked in 2 ways, which includes crispy kailan leaf shreds and crunchy kailan stalks. Recently I ordered this dish in my favourite Chinese restaurant in Johor Bahru, and it came topped with crispy anchovies. It was so delicious, that I couldn’t wait to get home to replicate this dish in my own kitchen!
TRICK OF THE TRADE
So why Kai Lan? That’s because of the hardiness of the vegetable. The Kai Lan’s leaves are sturdy, which make it great for achieving that crispy texture when you deep fry it.
To achieve crispiness, you need to ensure that the kailan leaves are cut very finely, and also that the oil is hot enough (test out with a few strands first, they should crisp pretty easily!).
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It is also very important to watch the fire and the colour of the kailan leaves. Once they start to turn a little darker green, its time to remove them from heat. The kailan leaves can go very quickly from dark green to black, within just a matter of seconds! Don’t forget the kailan will continue to cook a little more after being removed from heat, so the final colour will be darker than when you first take it out of the wok!
To make the crispy anchovies (ikan bilis), I microwaved them instead of deep-frying. Then I mixed them with some salt and sugar and sprinkled it over the crispy kailan. These little flavour bombs add a very nice crunch when used as a condiment to dishes, so do feel free to use them in other dishes as well!
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS DISH
- You get to use all of the vegetable to make a versatile dish! No throwing away of anything for this dish. You get to use the stalks and the leaves differently, and they both give different textures and tastes too!
- It’s an easy and fast dish to whip up. This dish can be made in about 35 mins, and makes you look pro at the same time.
HOW TO MAKE KAILAN DONE 2 WAYS?
Wash the Kailan and cut the leaves into thin strips (as thin as possible). Pat dry with a disposable kitchen towel.
Remove the fibrous outer covering of the stalks (especially near the root end), and set aside.
Remove the skin from the ginger and slice into fine shreds.
Rinse the anchovies, then soak in a small bowl of hot water for 10 minutes. Drain dry and keep the anchovy water for later use.
In a bowl, mix the cornflour sauce ingredients in (A).
In a wok, heat up 300ml of oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the shredded kai lan leaves in small batches and deep-fry until crispy but not burnt. Then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel to soak up excess oil.
Remove the oil from the wok. Add 200ml of boiling water and the baking soda into the wok, then blanch the stalks for a few minutes. Transfer to a plate and discard the water.
Add 2 TBsp of oil into the wok. When hot, add in the shredded ginger and fry until golden.
Next, add in the kailan stems and stir-fry until soft but still crunchy. Then add in 3 Tbsp of water (water from the anchovies) and stir fry for another minute. Salt to taste.
Add in the cornflour sauce mixture and mix well. Then transfer the kailan stems and crispy leaves onto a serving plate.
Place the anchovies on a microwavable plate. Cover the anchovies completely with a paper kitchen towel and microwave for 1 min. After 1 min, give it a stir before microwave for another min. Repeat the process until the anchovies are golden and crispy.
Sprinkle the crispy anchovies on top of the crispy kailan leaves before serving.
FRYING TIPS
- Add in a few strips of kailan leaves to check if the oil is hot enough. If the oil bubbles vigorously and the kailan leaves crispy up easily, it is hot enough.
- Do not deep fry the Kailan leaves for too long . The moment the leaves change to slightly darker green, it is time to remove with a sieve. The kailan leaves can go very quickly from dark green to black, within just a matter of seconds! The kailan will continue to cook a little more after being removed from heat, so the final colour will be darker than when you first take it out of the wok!
- Deep fry the kailan leaves in small batches to prevent them from burning.
COOKING TIPS
- Do not over-soak anchovies until they become bland. In case you have over-soaked them, add salt to taste.
- You can replace the anchovies with dried scallops. or have them both. You need to boil the scallop for a little while to soften it before shredding them by hand into fine strip. Add a little oil in the wok and fry the scallops until golden and crispy .
- Add a little sugar to the leaves immediately after transferring them onto a plate while they are still hot. Give them a quick stir before serving.
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Kailan Done in 2 Ways (Yin Yang Kailan / 阴阳芥蓝）
Ingredients
- 500 g Kai Lan (Chinese Brocolli)
- 50 g Ikan Bilis (Silver Anchovies) or Dried Scallops
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 300 ml Oil For deep-frying the kai lan leaves
- 3 slice Ginger
- 50 ml Water
- 2 tsp Chinese Rice Wine Hua Tiao Chiew / Shao Xing Jiu
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda To blanch the kailan stems
(A) Cornflour Sauce Mixture
- 1.5 tsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 TBsp Water Water from soaking the anchovies
- 1/4 tsp Cornflour
Instructions
Preparation Method
- Wash the Kailan and shred or cut the leaves into very thin strips. Pat dry with a disposable kitchen towel.
- Remove the fibrous outer covering of the stalks (especially near the root end), and set aside.
- Remove the skin from the ginger and slice finely into thin shreds.
- Rinse the anchovies, then soak in a small bowl of hot water for 10 minutes. Drain dry and keep the anchovy water for later use.
- In a bowl, mix the cornflour sauce ingredients in (A).
Cooking Method
- In a wok, heat up 300ml of oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the shredded kai lan leaves in small batches and deep-fry until crispy but not burnt (see tips). Then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel to soak up excess oil .
- Remove the oil from the wok. Add 200ml of boiling water and the baking soda into the wok, then blanch the stalks for a few minutes (why baking soda? See tips). Transfer to a plate and discard the water.
- Add 2 TBsp of oil into the wok. When hot, add in the shredded ginger and fry until golden.
- Next, add in the kailan stems and stir-fry until soft but still crunchy. Then add in 3 Tbsp of water (water from the anchovies) and stir fry for another minute. Salt to taste.
- Add in the cornflour sauce mixture and mix well. Then transfer the kailan stems and crispy leaves onto a serving plate.
- Place the anchovies on a microwavable plate. Cover the anchovies completely with a paper kitchen towel and microwave for 1 min. After 1 min, give it a stir before microwave for another min. Repeat the process until the anchovies are golden and crispy.
- Sprinkle the crispy anchovies on top of the crispy kailan leaves before serving.
Notes
FRYING TIPS
- Add in a few strips of kailan leaves to check if the oil is hot enough. If the oil bubbles vigorously, it is hot enough.
- Do not deep fry the Kailan leaves for too long or it will turn black in color. The moment the leaves change to slightly darker green, it is time to remove with a sieve.
- Deep fry the kailan leaves in small batches to prevent burning.
COOKING TIPS
- Do not over-soak anchovies until they become bland. In case you have over-soaked them, add salt to taste.
- You can replace the anchovies with dried scallops. or have them both. You need to boil the scallop for a little while to soften it before shredding them by hand into fine strip. Add a little oil in the wok and fry the scallops until golden and crispy .
- Add a little sugar to the leaves immediately after transferring them onto a plate while they are still hot. Give them a quick stir before serving.
