Here's a brief overview of what we'll be doing and how to get the perfect texture:

• Boil an abundance of water
• Add olive oil and salt to the water
• Bring the water to a boil BEFORE adding the gailan
• Bring to a boil again, and cook the Chinese broccoli for 1 to 2 minutes

As always, my dad says to thoroughly wash our veggies, so give the Chinese broccoli (1 lb) (gai lan) a good rinse.

We'll turn our stove on to its highest heat and set the wok on top of it. Start boiling water (8 cup)​ - the amount doesn't have to be exact, but more is better.

The less time we spend cooking Chinese broccoli, the better. And one key way to achieve a faster cooking time is to use a larger volume of boiling water.

Chinese restaurants are able to cook gai lan incredibly quickly, because they use larger woks on more powerful stoves.

Next, we'll add olive oil (1 tbsp) and salt (1 tsp) to the water.

In my dad's words, this is almost like "make up" for the Chinese broccoli, and it helps the gai lan retain a fresh green color and adds a beautiful shimmer.

It is critical that our water starts boiling before we add the Chinese broccoli. We want to keep the cook time as short as possible.

Since every piece is uniquely shaped, cut the stems of the gai lan to be uniform. If you notice that there are pieces of gai lan that have a thicker stem, we can take a knife and cut down the middle of the stem about 1-2 inches.

This helps increase the stem's cooking surface area and helps it cook faster, and also helps all of the different sized pieces of gailan cook evenly.

Once the water is boiling, add the gai lan, and cover the wok. If they're not fully submerged, add more hot/boiling water.

In total, once the wok comes to a boil again, we'll only need to cook our gailan for 1 to 2 minutes.

As the wok starts to come to a boil, about halfway there, you can flip the gailan.

More on why we want to cook Chinese broccoli as soon as possible:

• The less time that the gailan is sitting in the boiling water, the less nutrients it loses, and the less chlorophyll it loses.
• It's not only healthier, but it will look more mouthwatering when we're done.

Once 1 to 2 minutes are up, uncover the wok. Cut off a piece of stem and chew on it.

If it's crunchy to your liking, you're done! If you'd prefer it to be softer, you can cook it for another 1-3 minutes.

Once you're happy with the texture, turn off the heat and transfer the gai lan to a plate.

Take scissors and make 1 to 2 cuts along the stems and leaves to make the gai lan easier to eat.

Then, we'll drizzle some oyster sauce (1 tbsp) and more olive oil to taste.

Call your loved ones over - time to eat!