Beef and Broccoli with Red Pepper and Scallions

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In many Chinese restaurants, this is one of the most-ordered items of their menus, and is also a favorite take-out dish.

There are many beef and broccoli recipes on the Internet, with variations made in slow cookers, in Instant Pots, and on sheet pans. This version from Woks of Life, however, will show you exactly how to easily achieve restaurant results at home.

Here are the basic steps to making an authentic beef broccoli stir-fry:

  • Tenderize & marinate the beef
  • Blanch the broccoli & sear the beef
  • Cook the sauce & stir-fry everything together

This simple method yields tender beef, still crisp, healthy broccoli, and a rich sauce, combined into a restaurant-style dish. For this recipe, you’ll need both light/regular soy sauce and dark soy sauce. A good dark soy sauce adds flavor and provides that rich dark color to your beef and broccoli. Just as important as the soy sauce is the oyster sauce, which is full of umami goodness and key to producing an authentic restaurant flavor.

Our broccoli florets were too firm in the final dish. For one, they could have been cut smaller, and The Hubs ran cool water over them after they were blanched which prevented any further cooking.

We took the liberty of adding some red bell pepper and scallions, both for color and added nutrition. In the end, we both felt the dish did not have enough bold flavors for our liking—which is probably why we never order it at a Chinese restaurant. But for those of you who prefer a more sedate flavor profile, then it is probably a recipe for you.

Beef and Broccoli with Red Pepper and Scallions

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

For the beef and marinade:

  • 1 lb. flank steak (sliced 1/4-inch thick)
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda (optional)
  • 3 Tbsp. water
  • 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp. oyster sauce

For the sauce:

  • 2/3 cup low sodium chicken stock (warmed)
  • 1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. dark soy sauce (or double black dark soy sauce)
  • 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1/8 tsp. white pepper

For the rest of the dish:

  • 4 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1 bunch scallions, sliced thin, whites and greens divided (save some greens for garnish)
  • 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil (divided)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1/4 tsp. ginger (grated/minced, optional)
  • 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch (mixed with 3 Tbsp. water)

Directions

  1. In a bowl, add the sliced beef along with the baking soda and water (if you don’t want your beef tenderized too much, omit the baking soda). Massage the beef with your hands until all the liquid is absorbed. Mix in the remaining marinade ingredients: cornstarch, oil, and oyster sauce. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Make the sauce mixture by mixing together the chicken stock, sugar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Set aside.
  3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch your broccoli for 30 to 60 seconds (depending on whether you like your broccoli crunchy or a little soft). Drain (but do not run cool water over them), and set aside.
  4. Insert copy about bell pepper and scallions here…
  5. Heat your wok over high heat until smoking. Add 2 tablespoons oil and sear the beef on both sides until browned (this should only take 2-3 minutes). Turn off the heat, remove the beef from the wok, and set aside.
  6. Set the wok over medium heat and add another tablespoon of oil along with the garlic and ginger (if using). Stir the garlic and ginger for 5 seconds and then pour the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok.
  7. Next, add in the sauce mixture you made earlier. Stir the sauce around the sides of the wok to deglaze it (all those nice bits from stir-frying the beef should be absorbed into the sauce). Bring the sauce to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch and water into a slurry to ensure it’s well combined, and drizzle the mixture into sauce while stirring constantly. Allow it to simmer and thicken for 20 seconds.
  8. Toss in the blanched broccoli and seared beef (along with any juices). Mix everything together over medium heat until the sauce coats the beef and broccoli. If the sauce seems thin, turn up the heat and reduce it further, or add a bit more cornstarch slurry. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of chicken stock or water. Serve with plenty of steamed rice.

http://www.lynnandruss.com

Adapted from a recipe by Bill from Woks of Life

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