Beef & Broccoli Stirfry

I was going to call this recipe “A Tiny Amount of Tweaking & Some Broccoli” but no one would get the joke except a few family members… Basically this recipe is a slightly modified version of my Dad’s Oyster Sauce Beef. A “family dish” that we mostly only had on special occasions. I tend to only make my version on rare but non-special occasions

Be sure to check out the notes section before you consider making this!

Ingredients

Beef

1 lb of 1″ thick round steak, sliced into 3 to 4″ long strips that are as thin as possible

Marinade

• 1 generous tsp of finely minced or grated garlic
• 1 generous tsp of finely minced or grated ginger
• 1 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp of white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp dry white vermouth or rice wine (optional)

Sauce

• 1/2c beef stock (or water)
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 2 TBSP oyster sauce

Other

• 3 green onions, sliced at an angle, about 1/2″ inch long (green & white parts separated)
• Peanut or canola oil for frying
• 12 oz of frozen broccoli florets
• 2 TBSP of water

Hot cooked rice to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large deep bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and vermouth until you have a smooth mixture. Add the beef and fold into the sauce gently, until well coated. Cover, and set aside at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a small bowl or measuring jug, whisk together the stock, pepper, cornstarch and oyster sauce. Set aside (with the whisk) at room temperature until needed.
3. Heat a large heavy frying pan or wok over high heat for several minutes, until it is VERY hot. Add a little oil then add half the beef. Cook stirring constantly for about 30 seconds, you only want to the beef to be seared and not cooked through. Remove to a clean bowl and do the same with the other half of the beef.
4. Add the broccoli to the pan along with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir gently and frequently until the broccoli is cooked crisp-tender and the water is completely evaporated. Add a drizzle of oil and the whites of the onions, stirfry for a few seconds and then add all of the onion (including the uncooked green parts) and broccoli to the bowl with the beef.
5. Give the sauce mix a good whisking, then pour it into the pan. Stirring constantly, cook the sauce until thick, then add the beef, broccoli, and onions along with any juices in the bowl. Turn off the heat and stir gently to coat all the meat and veggies in the sauce.

Serve immediately over hot cooked rice – Makes 4 Servings

Notes

• For best results when cutting very thin strips of steak for this recipe, either use partially thawed frozen steak (leave out at room temperature for half an hour) or put fresh meat into the freezer for an hour, then use a large sharp (SHARP!) knife to cut the steak against the grain as thin as you possibly can.
• Oyster sauce may sound like something you don’t want to eat, but if this dish reminds you of something you’d order from a Chinese restaurant, chances are you have eaten oyster sauce before and liked it.
• Oyster sauce is not an exotic ingredient these days and is easily found in the Asian section of most American grocery stores.
• Be aware that if you use water in place of the stock AND leave out the vermouth/wine, the flavor of this dish won’t be anywhere near as good!