Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

By maritza1211

This recipe is standard Chinese takeout fare. Most versions fall very flat, and that's why we've come to think of beef and broccoli as uninteresting, one-dimensional, and utterly uninspired. The beef is usually gray and tasteless, and the broccoli's not much better. And the sauce? It's little more than a thick, brown soy sauce–spiked gravy.

This recipe revives the old standard, turning it into a delicious dish with rich-tasting beef, tender-crisp broccoli, and a salty-sweet sauce full of depth and complexity. You'll prep the beef (we use flank steak here) and marinate it as was shown in the video. Then, you'll use the high-heat batch-cooking technique that you learned about earlier in the lesson.

Broccoli requires steaming to cook through, so you'll put into practice a skillet steaming technique for hardy vegetables. One final note: Don't forget to complete your mise en place before you begin cooking!

Once you understand this basic recipe you can substitute other vegetables, other sauces, or replace the beef with pork. Serve the stir-fry with steamed rice.

Ingredients

• 1 1 1 Pound flank steak
• 3 3 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1 1 Tablespoon dry sherry
• 2 2 2 Tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
• 5 5 5 Tablespoons oyster sauce *
• 1 1 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 1 1 Teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 1 1 Teaspoon cornstarch
• 6 6 6 garlic cloves
• 1 1 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 3 3 3 Tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 1 1/4 1/4 Pounds broccoli
• 1/3 1/3 1/3 Cup water
• 1 1 1 Small red bell pepper
• 3 3 3 scallions

Details

Preparation time 45mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from onlinecookingschool.com

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare Ingredients

1. Cut 1 pound flank steak into 2-inch-wide strips with grain.
2. Freeze steak for about 20 minutes to make it easier to slice.
3. Peel and mince 6 garlic cloves. You should have about 2 tablespoons.
4. Peel and mince 1-inch piece ginger. You should have about 1 tablespoon.
5. Cut florets from 1 1/4 pounds broccoli into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces.
6. Trim and peel broccoli stems.
7. Cut trimmed stems on diagonal into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
8. Stem and seed 1 small red bell pepper and cut into 1/4-inch pieces.
9. Slice 3 scallions 1/2-inch thick on diagonal.

Slice and Marinate Beef

10. Remove meat from freezer. Cut each strip of meat against grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
11. Combine beef and 3 tablespoons soy sauce in medium bowl.
12. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring once.

Make Sauce

13. Stir together 1 tablespoon sherry, 2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth, and 5 tablespoons oyster sauce in small bowl.
14. Stir in 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.

Mix Aromatics

15. Combine garlic, ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil in small bowl.

Cook Beef

16. Drain beef in fine-mesh strainer and discard liquid.
17. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking.
18. Add half of beef to skillet and break up clumps.
19. Cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then turn pieces and cook until beef is browned on both sides, about 30 seconds.
20. Transfer beef to medium bowl.
21. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil in skillet and repeat with remaining beef.

Cook Broccoli

22. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to now-empty skillet and heat until just smoking.
23. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds.
24. Add 1/3 cup water.
25. Cover pan and lower heat to medium.
26. Steam broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
27. Transfer broccoli to paper towel–lined plate.

Cook Pepper and Aromatics

28. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons peanut oil to skillet.
29. Increase heat to high and heat until just smoking.
30. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.
31. Push bell pepper to sides of skillet to clear center.
32. Add garlic and ginger to clearing and cook, mashing mixture with spoon, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds, then stir mixture into peppers.

Finish and Serve

33. Return beef and broccoli to skillet.
34. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet and toss with beef and broccoli to combine.
35. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds.
36. Transfer to serving platter, sprinkle with scallions, and serve.