Chinese Broccoli-Based Caesar

Credit: Jeff Fierberg

Kenneth Wan

The Caesar salad may be one of America’s most recognizable menu staples, but the Charred Gai Lan Caesar from MAKfam demonstrates how much room remains for reinvention. Drawing from both Chinese and American culinary traditions, the dish swaps romaine for charred gai lan (Chinese broccoli), creating a smoky, deeply savory interpretation that reflects the personal story of Kenneth Wan, executive chef/co-owner of this Chinese-inspired restaurant.

Whole gai lan is charred directly on the plancha before being chopped and tossed with Parmesan, lemon juice and a housemade Caesar dressing reinforced with fish sauce and fermented tofu. Milk toast croutons, inspired by Hong Kong café culture, add a soft, pillowy contrast to the vegetable’s smoky edges.

“It’s a genuine nod to my roots as an ABC (American-born Chinese) and to the blend of Chinese and American food cultures that shaped how my wife Doris and I think about cooking,” says Wan. “I’ve always loved gai lan, and I’ve always loved a great Caesar salad, but they existed in completely separate parts of my life growing up.”

The dish proved polarizing. “It was very much a love-it-or-hate-it dish, which honestly tells me we did something right,” says Wan. “When you’re doing something genuinely different, you’re not going to get a lukewarm reaction. The guests who loved it became true advocates for it.”

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Kenneth Wan