Beef and Broccoli
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ⅓cup Shaoxing rice wine, dry sherry or sake
- 3tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1tablespoon cornstarch
- 1pound beef — chuck or rib steak — sliced thin against the grain
- ¼cup oyster sauce
- ½tablespoon chile-garlic sauce, or to taste
- ½cup plus 1 tablespoon neutral oil, like canola, grapeseed or peanut
- 1pound broccoli, the head cut into florets and the stems peeled and cut into planks
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
404 calories; 22 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 1428 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the wine, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and the cornstarch. Add the beef to the bowl, and toss to combine, then cover the bowl, and set aside for 20 minutes or so.
- Step 2
To make the sauce, combine in a small bowl the remaining soy sauce, the oyster sauce and the chile-garlic sauce, and mix to combine, then add a tablespoon of water and mix again. Set aside.
- Step 3
Heat the ½ cup of oil in a wok set over high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add about half the beef to the wok, and stir-fry until it is browned and crisp and barely cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl or plate, and set aside. Then repeat with remaining beef.
- Step 4
Pour off the oil in the wok, wipe it out with a towel and return it to the stove over high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and swirl it around and heat it until it is smoking. Add the broccoli and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, until lightly charred in spots, about 2 minutes.
- Step 5
Add 2 tablespoons water to the wok, and toss and stir the broccoli in the steam for an additional 2 minutes, then return beef to the wok, followed by the sauce. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, for 30 seconds or so, then add the butter, and stir and toss again for 30 seconds more. Serve immediately, with rice.
Private Notes
Comments
"When the oil is hot and shimmering,"... add a slab of ginger and a smashed garlic clove.
Anna Kao, a locally famous chef and restaurateur in Pittsburgh taught me that freezing the beef for half an hour makes it much easier to slice thinly.
Ah yes, the Chinese diaspora produced some interesting variations. My Chinese parents escaped the advancing Japanese army in the late 30's and took the Peter Maersk merchant ship to Guatemala. My mother had to adapt her Chinese cooking to the locally available ingredients. Instead of rice wine, for example, she used rum. She would stir-fry the broccoli with julienned ginger. It's really good with ginger! A variation is to use chicken instead of beef, and omit the oyster sauce.
I modified the sauce by adding ginger paste and brown sugar. I used beef stew meat because it’s what I had I marinated it longer to tenderize the meat and have it soak in the flavor. Came out pretty tasty!
Trying to decipher amidst all the opinions where some people went wrong. I was tempted to put the garlic and ginger in, as some commenters suggested, but opted to try the recipe once as written, and found it incredibly good and definitely worth making again. For context, I am very picky when it comes to flavor, and have been told I am an excellent cook by family and friends. I think the malcontent with this recipe comes down two things: ingredients. Given the simplicity of the recipe, quality of the ingredients will matter. Drying the beef off after marinating before adding it into the wok. This should help with the splatter and saltiness. As a side, many left out the butter. The butter is key to a rich velvety finish. Next time I am going to try with ginger and garlic for amped up flavor, but I got 5 stars as written from the family (even the picky 7 year old)
I used Meati, a plant-based beef substitute. Therefore, I had to cook the Meati first, according to directions, and then add it to the beef marinade. I steamed the broccoli ever so slightly. After 20 minutes, I put the marinated (cooked) Meati in the non-stick wok with oil, gave it a minute before adding the broccoli. Tossed it and then added the sauce. One more toss and it was a winner.