Broccoli Beef

I've been asking to go out for Chinese lately but so far it hasn't happened...so when I came across this recipe for 'The Best Broccoli Beef' I had to try it - not going out doesn't mean I can't make it to get my fix hahah!  You have to be skeptical when someone has named their recipe "the best" of anything so I went into this thinking 'I'm sure it'll be good but the best? How do you know if it's the best?' Anyway - I'm glad to report it is delicious. And easy and fast, so the perfect weeknight dinner. And quite possibly the best if I knew how to judge that. Definitely worth making and has made it into my "make again" cookbook!

Don't let the amount of ingredients stop you from making this - when I had to buy a big bottle of oyster sauce instead of a little one like I was hoping for, and not knowing if I was even going to like oyster sauce and then what a waste it was going to be if I didn't, I almost didn't make this. But I bought the ingredients and am happy I did - and nothing will be wasted because I will be making this recipe again very soon :)

This recipe is from melskitchencafe, I followed it almost to the letter except I left out the scallions, only used one clove of garlic, and used ground ginger instead of fresh. I only made 1 pound of beef and also used a larger pan, so was able to cook all the meat at once so didn't have to do it in batches.

THE BEST BROCCOLI BEEF

serves 4-5 (actually it served 2 hungry people haha), prep time 20 mins. cook time 10 mins.

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce -

• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Beef and broccoli -

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut into 2-inch wide strips with the grain, then sliced across the grain into 1/8-inch thick slices
• 6 medium cloves garlic, pressed thru a garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil, plus extra for cooking
• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 medium scallions, sliced 1/2-inch thick on diagonal, optional

DIRECTIONS:

• In a medium bowl, combine beef and soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil. Set aside.

• Heat 1-2 teaspoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and rippling. Add half of beef to skillet and break up clumps; cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until beef is browned around edges and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Don't overcook the meat - cook until just barely cooked through so the meat stays tender. Transfer beef to a medium bowl and cover with a lid and tin foil to keep warm. Heat another 1-2 teaspoons oil in the skillet and repeat with remaining beef. 

• Add 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty skillet; heat until hot and rippling. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds; add water, cover pan, and lower heat to medium. Steam broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Push the broccoli to the sides of the skillet and add the garlic/ginger mixture. Cook, mashing the mixture with a spoon about 15-30 seconds. Stir the mixture into the broccoli. Add the beef back to skillet and toss to combine. Whisk the sauce to recombine and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 1-2 minutes. 

I served this with brown rice (actually I followed melskitchencafe's baked brown rice recipe but after an hour and 10 minutes it was still uncooked and watery so I transferred it to a pot on the stove and finished that way!).

original recipe found here.


two years ago: make a wine cork trivet.