Around the World: Chinese Broccoli Beef

About once a month or so we usually order Chinese take-out.  Although we like to try different things we have our favorites that we like to order.  Growing up my family always ordered Chicken with Broccoli.  We rarely order it now and I don't think we've ever ordered Beef with Broccoli.  Broccoli is one of the kids' favorite vegetables so I thought this would be a good dish to make.  I found some beef already prepped for stir-fry at the grocery store.  Although it may look like a lot of steps/ingredients, this was really quick and easy to put together.  Beef doesn't have to be cooked very long and the broccoli is steamed so it still has crunch to it.  The sauce was really tasty.  My daughter, who loves steak loved this dish.  My son, who dislikes most meat tried a bite and found it too chewy, only ate his broccoli.  We served this with rice for a complete meal.

Chinese Broccoli Beef
recipe from New Asian Cuisine

Ingredients:
1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thin strips

For the marinade:
1½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon cooking oil

For the Stir-fry Sauce:
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons black vinegar (can substitute dark balsamic vinegar)

For the Broccoli:
1½ lb broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

Directions:
Marinate the beef in soy sauce, cornstarch and the ½ teaspoon of oil for 10 minutes at room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix together the stir-fry sauce ingredients.

In a wok or large frying pan, add 1 inch of water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. Broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Heat the pan over high heat and when hot, add the 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.

Pour in the stir-fry sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat a back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

Family Rating:  1 1/2 thumbs up.