Beef and Broccoli

We almost never get Chinese food from a restaurant, mainly because most in our area do not deliver. In the past Chinese delivery was what I could fall back on when I was too tired to cook. Now, if I’m too tired to cook, I’m also too tired to drive somewhere to pick up something and hence, no Chinese food. I do get cravings from time to time. I have learned to cook some dishes commonly found in American Chinese restaurants. Beef and Broccoli is one of those dishes. It’s actually not terribly hard to make at home.

The key to being able to cook Chinese-style dishes at home is to have a well-stocked pantry and fridge. I adore a variety of Asian foods, so I have a pretty good collection of Asian ingredients. Soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine (rice wine) are essentials that I keep on hand at all times. I usually also have hoisin and/or oyster sauce too. I don’t always have fresh ginger (and it can be left out of this recipe). When I do buy ginger, I try to clean and mince the whole piece and freeze what I don’t immediately use for use in future recipes. This works well for me.

Serve Beef and Broccoli with hot rice. It’s great with cooked rice noodles too. You can also substitute the beef with chicken. It tastes great in this recipe too.

Beef and Broccoli

1 pound beef (sirloin, round, flank, London broil, etc…), trimmed of fat and gristle and thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch thick) and slice cut into 1-inch pieces

Marinade:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 pound (approximately) broccoli, separated into bite-size florets
1 onion, slivered
1 bell pepper, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into “coins”

Sauce:
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Place the sliced beef in a bowl. Mix the marinade ingredients together and pour over the beef.  Let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature (or for longer in the refrigerator).

Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Heat a wok (or large skillet), add 2 tablespoons oil, and add beef.  Stir-fry over high heat until just cooked through.  Remove from the wok and set aside.  Clean out the wok.

Reheat the cleaned wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil.  Add the minced garlic and ginger.  Stir-fry for about 15 seconds and then add the broccoli, onion, bell pepper, and carrot.  Stir-fry about 3 minutes.  Add the cooked beef and the sauce.  Cook, mixing constantly, until beef is heated through and the sauce begins to thicken.  Serve immediately.