Recipe - Beef and Broccoli

[This is a recipe modified from a previous post from 2010] It's iconic really, this Beef & Broccoli dish that people see in multiple Chinese to-go places. The dish is usually coated in a sweet brown sauce as well, giving flavor to the steamed rice beneath it. You can have this dish, however, without all of the grease that seems to accompany it. In fact, you can make it pretty quickly if I do say so myself! This is a great way to make a quick weeknight dinner that will satisfy the two camps of getting vegetables in for the day and getting some protein too! It just takes a few ingredients but turns out a lovely, soon-to-be staple.


Step 1: Ingredients (yields 4-6 servings)

• 1 1/2 lbs beef shoulder or flank steak, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsps soy sauce
• 2 tsps white vinegar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 lbs broccoli, in small florets
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• sesame seeds, optional
  
Sauce
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsps soy sauce
• 2 tsps cornstarch (dissolved in water)
  

Step 2: Prepping ingredients
The beef needs to be thinly sliced and divided into 1-2" inch pieces to yield the best preparation of this dish. Mix together ground black pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch in a bowl; add beef to this and coat completely. Let marinade for at least 10 minutes. Cut up broccoli into small florets. In a separate bowl, mix together ingredients for the sauce except cornstarch.

Step 3: Finishing
In a large wok, heat up a little oil on medium heat. Then add the beef. Because it is thinly sliced, it will cook quickly so after half looks cooked, add in broccoli and garlic. After two minutes, mix in sauce. Dissolve remaining cornstarch in water and mix in as well to thicken the whole sauce. Enjoy over steamed rice!


Photography by Duc Duong.