Chinese Beef Broccoli

One of my favorite dishes to order at a really good Chinese place is Beef and Broccoli. I loved the tender meat, the crisp broccoli and the sauce. Oh the sauce! I could never get it right at home. Every time I tested out a recipe it never came out just right. Until I tried the recipe from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook!

I've had these pictures ready for almost a month already and we've already enjoyed this recipe no less than 4 times since I received a copy from a BlogHer Food after party sponsored in part by Jaden, the book's author, last fall. I don't know why it's taken me so long to share it, because it certainly deserves to be shared, I guess that happens sometimes and it's always nice to have a few back up recipes. With broccoli growing in our garden, I can tell we will be enjoying this meal many more times in the near future.

If you love Asian food, I really recommend this book. Every recipe I've tried so far has been a hit for us and they're all simple and fast to prepare. The only change I made to this recipe was making a little extra stir fry sauce because I love a little extra on my rice.

Chinese Beef Broccoli
barely adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook

• 1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced into 1/8-in thick strips
• 1 1/2 lbs broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
• 1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Beef Marinade

• 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
• freshly ground black pepper to season the beef

Stir-Fry Sauce

• 4 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 3 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar or Balsamic vinegar

In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the beef marinade. Add the beef and let marinate for ten minutes at room temperature.

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

In a wok or large saute pan, add 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The 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. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat 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 on the other side.

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