Beef and Broccoli

When I order Chinese food, my order is pretty standard. Beef and broccoli, maybe some fried rice or lo mein and possibly an egg roll if I'm feeling rebellious. That being said, finding this recipe was a huge deal for me. Knowing I can now make my usual #7 from the comfort of my own home is so refreshing. I was a little hesitant at first since I know firsthand that eating bad Chinese food is a major letdown, so I didn't want to be disappointed. Surprisingly, this tastes amazingly similar to what I usually order and I'm positive it's a lot healthier, too. This is by far one of my favorite dishes. 

It's also a great low-carb meal for those of you who are trying to get ready for bathing suit season like I am. You can serve it on top of rice, but that's completely optional. However, the sauce is pretty delicious so you could probably try brown rice as a healthy alternative.

I know that the list of ingredients is intimidating, but don't let it scare you. Since they are separated into three sections, it's really easy to toss everything together and prepare ahead of time so when it's time to cook all you have to do is throw it in the wok/pan and let it rip. I also triple the sauce ingredients because I found that the original recipe didn't produce nearly enough. Hope you enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound flank or sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
• 3/4 pound broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp. high-heat cooking oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp. water

For the beef marinade:

• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

• 6 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 3 teaspoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 3 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3/4 cup chicken broth

Marinate the beef: Stir together the beef marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the beef slices and stir until coated. Let stand for 10 minutes

Prepare the sauce: Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Blanch the broccoli: Cook the broccoli in a small pot of boiling, salted water until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and instantly evaporates upon contact. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the beef and immediately spread the beef out all over the surface of the wok or pan in a single layer (preferably not touching). Let the beef fry undisturbed for 1 minute. Flip the beef slices over, add the garlic to the pan and fry for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until no longer pink. Pour in the sauce, add the blanched broccoli and bring to a boil. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens, about 30 seconds.

Source: Adapted from Simply Recipes