For our beef and broccoli recipe, we wanted to make sure our beef was tender and our sauce deeply flavored and silky. Before we stir-fried the beef, we marinated thin slices in soy sauce for an hour, drained them, and cooked the beef at a very high heat. We then sautéed and steamed the broccoli in the same pan and added the garlic last to keep it from burning. A bit of cornstarch made the sauce cling to the meat and vegetables.
Notes
- To make slicing the steak easier, freeze it for 20 minutes. Serve this dish with white rice.
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 1 pound flank steak - cut into 2-inch-wide strips with the grain, then sliced across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
For the stir-fry sauce:
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
- 5 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the aromatics:
- 6 cloves garlic - pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 inch-piece fresh ginger - minced (about 1 tablespoon)
For the stir-fry:
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil - or vegetable oil
- 1¼ pounds broccoli - florets cut into bite-size pieces, stems trimmed, peeled, and cut on diagonal into ⅛-inch-thick slices
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 red bell pepper - cored, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 3 medium scallions - sliced ½-inch thick on diagonal
Instructions
- Combine the beef and soy sauce in a medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring once.
- Meanwhile, whisk the sherry, chicken broth, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a measuring cup.
- Combine the garlic, ginger, and 1½ teaspoons peanut oil in a small bowl.
Brown the beef:
- Drain the beef and discard the liquid.
- Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of peanut oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking.
- Add half of the beef to the skillet and break up any clumps; cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until beef is browned around edges, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer the beef to a medium bowl.
- Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of peanut oil in the skillet, and repeat with the remaining beef.
Cook the broccoli:
- Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil to the now-empty skillet; heat until just smoking.
- Add the broccoli and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the water, cover the pan, and lower the heat to medium.
- Steam the broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the broccoli to a paper towel–lined plate.
Cook the bell pepper:
- Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil to the skillet; increase the heat to high and heat until just smoking.
- Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.
- Clear the center of the skillet; add the garlic and ginger to the clearing and cook, mashing the mixture with a spoon, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds, then stir the mixture into the peppers.
Finish and serve:
- Return the beef and broccoli to the skillet and toss to combine.
- Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add to skillet.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.