Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Beef and Broccoli Cooking Lesson

My friend Jiji was nice enough to give us a lesson in authentic Chinese cooking - I told her I want to learn it all hahah but she said we'd start easy and make beef and broccoli. I wasn't expecting a two-fer lesson when she showed up with everything to make the beef and broccoli - and also Chinese green beans (better than I've ever had at a restaurant by the way!). This dinner was terrific, and she made it look easy. Thanks again for sharing, Jiji! 

I took tons of photos but the process is quite easy. Chop up steak (note: you don't want too lean of a cut for this dish, she used flank steak), marinade in wine and soy sauce, coat with cornstarch and cook until done - all the while adding different sauces and flavorings and taste, taste, taste the whole time. I've learned that it's not really about using a set quantity of ingredients, she just added a little of this and a little of that until it tasted right to her. So I didn't give measurements for most of the ingredients, you really do just drizzle some in, taste and adjust. 

Once you make this you'll see what I mean and will be able to comfortably wing it in the future!

I took photos of all the sauce bottles, these are the brands she prefers but if you can't find the exact ones you'll at least have an idea of what you're looking for. 

  • 1 lb. flank steak
  • cooking wine or other wine - Jiji says it doesn't matter what kind
  • dark soy sauce
  • soy sauce
  • salt and pepper
  • cornstarch
  • broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • vegetable oil
  • raw cane sugar
  • oyster sauce
  • sesame oil
  • sesame seeds
  • 2 bulbs garlic, smashed and chopped
  • green beans
  • steamed white rice
Freeze steak for about an hour, it's easier to slice that way. Chop into small bite-sized pieces and marinate in a large ziplock bag along with wine, dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, salt and pepper. Before cooking,  add some cornstarch to the meat and massage the bag to evenly coat the meat. Chop broccoli into bite-size pieces, boil for just a minute then remove from hot water but save the pan of water keeping it hot. Note: if you cook the broccoli while raw it needs too much time and will burn over the high heat. Set broccoli aside. 

In a large flat pan heat 1/4 cup veg oil over high heat; add meat with it's marinade and stir, turn heat down, stir and separate pieces. Once the steak is cooked thru, transfer it and some of the pan juices to a bowl/serving dish. Set aside. 

Add broccoli to the hot pan, fry in any juices that remain in the pan, until done and coated with any of the juice. While broccoli is cooking, put green beans in the hot water from the broccoli for a couple minutes, remove so they don't overcook and set aside. Add meat and juices back to the hot pan with the broccoli, sprinkle with raw cane sugar and salt. Taste and adjust. Add oyster sauce, taste and adjust. Cook for a couple minutes reducing the sauce. Add dark soy to deepen color. Put all on serving dish. Drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Wipe the pan clean. 

Smash and chop garlic cloves, set aside. Heat more veg oil in the pan over high heat. Swirl oil around, add beans into hot pan (oil will splatter so be careful), cover a couple minutes. Add garlic and salt, stir; add dark soy, oyster sauce, and raw cane sugar all to taste. Saute until beans are coated and cooked thru, stirring constantly. Serve with beef and broccoli, and steamed rice. 



















I might do a separate post just for the green beans, they are killer! One of my new favorite things. And don't skimp on the garlic, 2 bulbs sounds like a lot but with a big bag of beans it was perfect. I ate them for breakfast the next morning, including all the garlic bits. Sorry to anyone I encountered the rest of that day LOL but it's totally worth garlic breath. 


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