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Broccoli Beef Once Upon a Chef

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Tender strips of steak with crisp broccoli in a rich brown sauce, beef with broccoli is a weeknight favorite.

Beef and broccoli, or tender strips of steak and crisp broccoli florets in a rich brown sauce, is a popular Chinese restaurant dish, but it's easy to make at home too. At most American Chinese restaurants, the dish is made with flank steak that has been tenderized with a baking soda solution and marinated, but when I make beef and broccoli at home, I prefer to use flat iron steak. It's an affordable cut of meat that does not require tenderizing or marinating, and it's ideal for high-heat, quick-cooking methods like sautéing. This recipe comes together in just 40 minutes with ingredients found at most supermarkets. Make some rice and dinner is done!

What you'll need to make Beef and Broccoli

beef with broccoli ingredients

Step-by-step Instructions

Begin by slicing the beef into 1/4-inch slices. Add 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) and let marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

beef marinating in bowl

While the beef marinates, chop the scallions, garlic, and ginger. It's important to do this before you start cooking because the dish cooks very quickly.

scallions, garlic and ginger in bowl

Next, prepare the sauce by combining the the remaining 3 tablespoons of soy sauce with the cornstarch, and stir with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), oyster sauce, chicken broth, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir and set aside.

remaining soy sauce, cornstarch, remaining 3 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), oyster sauce, chicken broth, sugar, and sesame oil in bowl

When you're ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan or wok over high heat until smoking. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the water. Cover the pan with a lid (or tightly with foil) and lower the heat to medium; steam the broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

broccoli in pan

Wipe any excess water out of the pan. Increase the heat to high and heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan until smoking. Add half of the beef, so that it is in a single layer. Cook without moving until the beef is well seared, about 1-1/2 minutes. Continue cooking while stirring until the beef is lightly cooked but still pink in spots, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat until smoking. Put in the remaining beef and cook without moving until the beef is well seared, about 1-1/2 minutes.

cooking beef in pan

Next, add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites. Cook, stirring constantly with the beef, for about 30 seconds. Return the reserved beef and broccoli to the pan, along with the reserved sauce and scallion greens.

beef, broccoli and sauce in pan

Cook, tossing and stirring constantly until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 45 seconds. Serve with rice and enjoy.

beef with broccoli

Note: The sauce for this recipe (not the method) is adapted from one of my favorite food columns, The Food Lab on Serious Eats by J. Kenji López-Alt.

Video Tutorial

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Beef and Broccoli

Tender strips of steak with crisp broccoli in a rich brown sauce, beef with broccoli is a weeknight favorite.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound flat iron steak, cut into ¼-inch thick strips (flank steak, skirt steak or hanger steak may be substituted, but won't be as tender)
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • ¼ cup oyster sauce
  • ⅓ cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Asian/toasted sesame oil
  • 4 scallions, whites finely sliced, greens cut into ½-inch segments on the diagonal, reserved separately
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound bite-size broccoli florets, from about 1½ pounds broccoli crowns
  • ⅓ cup water
  • Rice, for serving

Instructions

  1. Combine the beef with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry) in a bowl and toss to coat. Let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator.
  2. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of soy sauce with the cornstarch and stir with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), oyster sauce, chicken broth, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir and set aside.
  3. Combine the scallion whites, garlic and ginger in a bowl and set aside.
  4. When you're ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan or wok over high heat until smoking. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the water. Cover the pan with a lid (or tightly with foil) and lower the heat to medium; steam the broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.
  5. Wipe any excess water out of the pan. Increase the heat to high and heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan until smoking. Add half of the beef, so that it is in a single layer, and cook without moving until the beef is well seared, about 1½ minutes. Continue cooking while stirring until the beef is lightly cooked but still pink in spots, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate.
  6. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat until smoking. Add the remaining beef and cook without moving until the beef is well seared, about 1½ minutes. Add the scallion whites, garlic and ginger mixture and cook, stirring constantly with the beef, for about 30 seconds.
  7. Return the reserved beef and broccoli to the pan, along with the reserved sauce and scallion greens and cook, tossing and stirring constantly until the sauce is lightly thickened, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with rice.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

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  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 369
  • Fat: 21g
  • Saturated fat: 5g
  • Carbohydrates: 17g
  • Sugar: 6g
  • Fiber: 4g
  • Protein: 28g
  • Sodium: 1523mg
  • Cholesterol: 77mg

See more recipes:

warbybroment.blogspot.com

Source: https://galaxyconcerns.com/beef-and-broccoli-once-upon-a-chef/