name: Kai-Lan
flavor_db_name_variants: kailan
source: foodb
status: draft
food_db_id: Kai-lan
id: 258
name_scientific: Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra
description: Kai-lan (also written as gai-lan) is the Cantonese name for a vegetable that is also known as Chinese broccoli. It is a leaf vegetable featuring thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems and a small number of tiny, almost vestigial flower heads similar to those of broccoli. Broccoli and kai-lan belong to the same species Brassica oleracea, but kai-lan is in the group alboglabra [Latin albus+glabrus white and hairless]. Its flavor is very similar to that of broccoli, but slightly more bitter. It is also noticeably stronger. Broccolini is a hybrid between broccoli and kai-lan, produced by Mann Packing Company, Inc. Kai-lan is eaten widely in Chinese cuisine, and especially in Cantonese cuisine. Common preparations include kai-lan stir-fried with ginger and garlic, and boiled or steamed and served with oyster sauce. It is also common in Vietnamese cuisine, Myanmar and Thai cuisine. Kai-lan can be sown in late summer for early-winter harvesting. Seedlings planted in autumn will last all winter.
itis_id: 532650
wikipedia_id: Kai-lan
picture_file_name: 258.jpg
picture_content_type: image/jpeg
picture_file_size: 76467
picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:43:43.000Z
legacy_id: 276
food_group: Vegetables
food_subgroup: Cabbages
food_type: Type 1
created_at: 2011-02-09T00:37:29.000Z
updated_at: 2019-05-17T16:19:45.000Z
creator_id: null
updater_id: null
export_to_afcdb: false
category: specific
ncbi_taxonomy_id: 3714
export_to_foodb: true
public_id: FOOD00258