Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

Chinese take-out made right in your kitchen!  My beef and broccoli is take-out tasty but cooked at home using only a few simple ingredients.  This recipe will make you re-think ordering out.
View Instructions
Introduction

About this Recipe

By: Kelli South

Asian food has a happy place in my cooking as well as my tummy!  While there are plenty of good Chinese food restaurants out there, there are also plenty of not so good Chinese restaurants.  My husband and I have moved around a few times since we have been together and sometimes it is extremely difficult to find the right place to get take-out.  So ever since culinary school, I have enjoyed dabbling in the art of Asian cuisine.  And beef and broccoli, is one of my favorites!

Ingredients
  • 1 lb Flank Steak
  • 5 Garlic Cloves
  • 4 cups Broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Corn Startch
  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 cup Beef Stock
  • 2 cups White Rice, cooked
    Sauce
  • 3/4 cups :Light Sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 cup Water
  • 2 tbsp Corn Startch
  • 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 tbsp Corn Syrup or Honey
The recipe starts with the flank steak.  What is nice about using flank steak for a recipe like this is that the meat cooks fast and will absorb amazing flavor from the sauce.  Start by finding which way the grain goes.  In the pictures above you can see how the lines on the steak are going up and down.  You are going to cut thin slices AGAINST the grain.  What that means is you are gong to cut the opposite way of the lines, cut perpendicular.  (NOT parallel. Cutting parallel will make you meat tough and hard to chew.)  Thinly slice the entire piece of steak, trying to keep in mind that the ideal size will be bite-sized.  Sprinkle the cornstarch on the steak and gently mix trying to evenly coat the meat.
Since the beef browns so quickly, I usually cook the beef in 3-4 stages to ensure a more even cook.  The cornstarch will also cause the pieces to stick together, so make sure you lay the beef flat in the pan to cook.  Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat.  This pan needs to be really, really hot!  When the pan and oil are hot, add the steak slices down flat to cook.  Once the beef is browned and caramelized, flip it and do it to the opposite side and then remove them from the pan and set aside.  Some of the beef will not be fully cooked and that is okay.  You will be returning the meat to the pan later in the recipe to finish cooking.
The last few steps are easy!  Using the same sauté pan, turn the heat down to medium and let the pan cool down for a few minutes. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan and once it heats up, add the garlic.  Be sure to keep and eye on the garlic while you are cooking it.  You are adding it to an extremely hot pan so it is going to cook very fast and can burn quickly.  Frequently stir the garlic in the oil to ensure even cooking.  Once the garlic is light brown and fragrant, toss in the broccoli.  Cook the broccoli on medium heat for a few minutes, to develop that garlic flavor, then add your beef stock.  It will look like a good amount of liquid, but the broccoli will absorb most of it and some will evaporate.  Let the stock come to a simmer and then turn the heat down to a medium-low.  Cook the broccoli until most of the liquid is absorbed.

While the broccoli is cooking, mix all of your sauce ingredients together.  Once most of the liquid is absorbed from the broccoli, stir in your sauce.  Let the sauce heat up to and keep at a simmer for about 10 minutes.  The sauce will thicken as it cooks.  DO NOT boil the sauce, keep it at a nice simmer.

When the sauce is finished, it will be thicker and should have thickened to the point where you get a clear sight of the bottom of the pan when you stir it, but will re-cover the pan bottom with sauce when you stop stirring.  Scoop the beef and broccoli over white rice and cover with a spoonful of that amazing sauce!

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Cut the flank steak, against the grain, into thin slices.  (Pictures up in blog) Mix the 2 Tbsp cornstarch into the flank steak, mixing it evenly on every piece.  Let sit for 15 minutes.

Step 2

Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil.  We want this pan HOT!  Once the oil is hot, add the beef in a flat, single layer.  You may need to cook the beef in 3-4 shifts since the meat cooks fast.  You are going to give each side of the meat a hard sear and caramelization.  Remove the meat from pan and set aside on side plate.  The meat does not need to be completely cooked since you will be returning it to the pan to finish cooking.

Step 3

Once the beef is finished and set aside, turn the flame down to medium, let the pan cool down for a minute or two then and add 2 Tbsp olive oil.  Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is a light brown and fragrant. (1-2 minutes)  Make sure you keep a close eye on the garlic.  You are putting it in a really hot pan and it will burn easily.  Add the broccoli to the pan and toss the broccoli and garlic together.  Cook for 3 minutes, then add the beef stock.  Stir everything together and let liquid some to a simmer and then turn down the heat to a medium-low.  Cook for 7 minutes.

Step 4

Add the broccoli to the pan and toss the broccoli and garlic together.  Cook for 3 minutes, then add the beef stock.  Stir everything together and let liquid some to a simmer and then turn down the heat to a medium-low.  Cook for 7 minutes.  While the broccoli is cooking, make the sauce.

Step 5

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.  When the broccoli is done cooking for 7 minutes, add the sauce.  There should be some of the beef stock liquid still in the pan.  Add the beef back to the pan and mix all the ingredients together.  The sauce will thicken with heat.  Let the sauce cook and simmer for 10 minutes.   When the sauce is finished, it will be thicker and should have thickened to the point where you get a clear sight of the bottom of the pan when you stir it, but will re-cover the pan bottom with sauce when you stop stirring.   Serve over white rice!

More Recipes

Orange Juice

Make This

Boiled Crab

Make This

Baked Bread

Make This

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *