This is American Chinese food at its best. It's broccoli beef just like at Panda Express and Chinese restaurants all over the country. The best part may be the broccoli itself. Broccoli becomes an absolute sauce sponge here. When you pop it in your mouth, it gushes with sauce, which is awesome. I'm not changing the world with this dish, but my one twist is black pepper. I love black pepper in a stir-fry. If you don't, or if you're cooking for kids, omit it. As for the ginger in this dish, here's my rule of thumb for cooking with ginger. For kids, slice the ginger into thin slabs (unpeeled) so that you can remove it from the dish before serving it. For adults (especially white folks, who seem to love this), julienne the peeled ginger (cut it into long thin strips), so they CAN chew on the ginger in the finished dish. And for Asian families, mince the ginger so it's there but more evenly mixed in with the other flavors. - Chris Ying
Serves about 4
Ingredients
Serves about 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef flap, flank, hanger, or bavette steak
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon agave syrup or sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon monosodium glutamate, such as Ac'cent
- 1 pound fresh broccoli
- A 2-inch knob fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves
- Pinch of kosher salt or seasoned salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Freshly ground black pepper, optional
- Slice the steak across the grain into strips about 3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. To get fancy, slice the strips on an deep angle, which creates a wider strip of meat and more surface area for browning and flavor absorption.
- Put the meat strips in a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon agave or sugar and 1/4 teaspoon MSG. Mix everything together with a spoon or fork to coat the meat. Refrigerate until you need it.
- Cut the broccoli into bite-size florets. Peel the stems down to the tender white part, and cut the white broccoli stems into planks 2 to 3 inches long and about 1/4-inch thick. Peel and mince the ginger. Mince the garlic.
- Put the broccoli in a microwaveable bowl, sprinkle it with a little salt, and add a splash of water (about 2 tablespoons). Cover and microwave on medium-high heat for 4 minutes. The broccoli will finish cooking in the wok.
- Prep the sauce: Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon agave or sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon MSG in a small bowl. Stir in about 2 tablespoons of cold water, and then taste the sauce, adding water, sugar, or soy sauce until it tastes good to you. Whisk in the remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
- Heat about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or other large, deep pot/pan over high heat. When it shimmers, add the meat and stir-fry until it begins to lose its pink color. You want the meat about 80% cooked. Remove the meat to a plate. Give the wok a quick wipe with a paper towel, then add another 1 1/2 tablespoons oil (still over high heat). Add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the broccoli, and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the beef and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, if using. Add the sauce, and stir-fry until the sauce boils and thickens, coating everything in a nice glaze. If the sauce is too thick, stir in a little water.
- Serve with cooked rice.
Watch the full recipe video on the Majordomo YouTube Channel.
