Beef and Broccoli

Name: Beef and Broccoli
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 lb flank steak, halved lengthwise with the grain, then sliced 1/4 inch thick across it; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry; 1 tsp cornstarch; ¼ tsp baking soda; 3 tbsp oyster sauce; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tsp sugar; 2 tsp cornstarch; ½ cup water; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 3 tbsp neutral oil; 1 lb broccoli florets, bite-size, from about 1 1/2 lb crowns; peel and slice the stems too; ¼ cup water, for steaming the broccoli; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced; steamed rice, for serving

By the Tapas kitchen · Jump to the recipe

Takeout beef is that soft because of a little baking soda in the marinade, and a quarter teaspoon is enough for a pound of flank steak; any more and you can taste it. Sear the beef in two batches in a smoking pan and take it out while it's still pink, since it finishes cooking in the sauce.

Beef and broccoli stir-fry on a white plate — Photo by Joy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 30 min
Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

For the beef

1 lb flank steak, halved lengthwise with the grain, then sliced 1/4 inch thick across it
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry
1 tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp baking soda

For the sauce

3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
½ cup water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

To cook

3 tbsp neutral oil
1 lb broccoli florets, bite-size, from about 1 1/2 lb crowns; peel and slice the stems too
¼ cup water, for steaming the broccoli
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
steamed rice, for serving

Steps

Toss the beef with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, the wine, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch and the baking soda until every slice is coated. Leave it while you make the sauce and cut the broccoli, at least 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the oyster sauce, the other tablespoon of soy sauce, the sugar, the remaining 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, the 1/2 cup of water and the sesame oil.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until it smokes. Add the broccoli and toss for 30 seconds, then pour in the 1/4 cup of water, standing back because it will spit. Cover and cook until bright green and a knife meets slight resistance in a stem, about 2 minutes. Tip it onto a plate.
Wipe the pan dry and heat another tablespoon of the oil until smoking. Add half the beef in a single layer and leave it until browned underneath, about 1 minute, then toss for 30 seconds; it should still be pink in places. Move it to a plate and repeat with the remaining oil and beef.
Put all the beef back in the pan with the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir the sauce again, since the cornstarch settles, and pour it in with the broccoli. Toss over high heat until the sauce boils, turns glossy and coats everything, about 1 minute.
Serve right away over steamed rice.

Notes

Flat iron or sirloin steak, sliced the same way, can stand in for the flank. Buy a good oyster sauce, such as Lee Kum Kee Premium; the cheapest bottles taste mostly of salt and caramel. Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge, though the broccoli softens.