Beef and Broccoli - Easy Chinese Recipe
This beef and broccoli recipe teaches you how to make this Chinese restaurant popular, nutritious, and delicious dish within 30 minutes.
Equipment
- 1 frying pan
- 1 Knife
Ingredients
- 500 g beef (about 1 lb, see "choice of beef" in content above)
Beef Marinade
- ¼ tsp salt (about 2g)
- ½ tsp dark soy sauce (can be substituted with regular soy sauce)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
Beef and Broccoli Sauce
- ¾ cup warm water (you can microwave the water for 40 seconds to make it warm)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp light/regular soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp chicken powder (can be substituted with msg or you can skip it)
- 1½ tbsp cornstarch
Other Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cooking oil (I used vegetable oil)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 500 g broccoli (about 1 lb)
- ½ tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Add 2 tbsps of flour to broccolis, fill the basin with cold water and soak the broccoli for 10 minutes.
- Cut 500g beef against the grain (see picture illustrations above) into ⅛ inch thick x 1 inch wide x 4 inch long slices.
- Transfer sliced beef to a bowl, add ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp dark soy sauce, ½ tsp black pepper, and ¼ baking soda to the beef. Mix by hand until the color (from dark soy sauce) looks evenly on the beef.
- Add 1 egg white to the beef. Mix well by hands for about 2 minutes until all the egg white has been absorbed into the beef.
- Add 2 tbsps of cornstarch to the beef. Mix gently by hands until all the beef slices are evenly coated with a thin layer of cornstarch.
- Add 2 tbsps of olive oil to the beef. Mix gently by hands until all the beef slices are evenly coated with a thin layer of olive oil. (This step can prevent the beef slices from sticking to each other in the frying pan.) Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
- Rinse the broccoli under running water. Cut broccoli florets into bite-size. Peel broccoli stems, cut them into bite-size.
- Optionally (See Note 1), bring half pot of water to a boil over high heat, add in the broccoli, and boil the broccoli for about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the blanched broccoli to a plate. Set aside.
- Add all the sauce ingredients (¾ cup warm water, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, ½ tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp chicken powder (or msg), 1½ tbsp cornstarch) to a small bowl. Mix well until all the ingredients are dissolved. Set aside.
- Finely chop 3 garlic cloves and a small piece of ginger.
- Add 2 tbsps of cooking oil to a large frying pan, heat up the oil over medium high heat. (See Note 2) Add chopped ginger and garlic to stir fry for 20 seconds. Add marinated beef slices to stir fry until there is no pink spots on the beef slices, transfer the fried beef to a bowl.
- Do not wash or wipe the pan, pour in the sauce we just made. Stir and simmer the sauce for about 1 minute until it gets thickened with a glossy sheen.
- Add broccoli to the frying pan, stir until all the broccolis are evenly coated with sauce. Add fried beef slices to the frying pan, stir fry for about 30 seconds until all the ingredients are well mixed.
- Transfer beef and broccoli to a serving plate. Optionally sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds over the top. Serve immediately with hot steamed rice or fried noodles.
Video
Notes
Note 1: I skip the broccoli blanching step 50% of the time, especially when I have no patience or time to cook. Raw broccoli is safe to eat anyway~ You can add the raw broccolis directly to the frying pan to fry with beef later. But blanched broccoli will definitely taste softer and more flavorful.
Note 2: How to know if the oil is hot enough for stir frying: Place your palm 1 foot above the frying pan (NEVER touch the hot frying pan), once you are able to feel the hot air above the frying pan, the oil is hot enough for stir frying.