Alea’s Easy Broccoli and Beef

I love how fast stir-frys come together. Broccoli and Beef is one of my favorite dishes, but I avoided making it for years because I thought the recipe involved too many steps for an easy stir-fry dinner. The recipe I was given by a friend involved cooking the meat in oil, steaming the veggies, cooking both in a marinade and then adding a sauce…just not going to happen on a busy night. Then one evening it occurred to me: I am not a recipe follower! So I used the flavors and created a fast and easy Broccoli and Beef recipe that we can enjoy even on busy nights.

You don’t need a wok to make stir-frys. I just use a large frying pan and push ingredients to the side before I work on the sauce in the center.

You do need oyster sauce when you make Broccoli and Beef, it is the secret ingredient. (Don’t tell your children that the secret ingredient is oyster sauce – that is why it is called the secret ingredient!) In our area a nine ounce bottle of oyster flavored sauce sells for $1.99. I use 14 cents worth in this recipe. It is a fairly inexpensive way to jazz up your stir-frys.

After you have cut your broccoli florets, don’t toss the stems! You can julienne the stems and use them to make Broccoli Slaw.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 pound thin flank steak, cut in thin strips
1/2 small onion, cut in thin strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups broccoli florets
1 cup carrots, julienned

Sauce Ingredients:

3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

Add olive oil and soy sauce to a large frying pan or wok. Add steak, onions and garlic and cook over a medium-high flame until the meat is mostly browned.

Add broccoli and carrots. Cook over a medium-high flame for 4 –5 minutes or until broccoli is fork tender and meat is cooked through. Remove pan from flame.

In a small bowl, combine water and corn starch until they are thoroughly mixed. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and ginger. Stir until completely mixed.

Push the steak and broccoli to the sides of the pan, leaving the center empty.

Add the sauce and cook over a medium flame, stirring constantly, until the sauce begins to thicken, approximately one minute. (This sauce is not going to be extremely thick, like the restaurant variation, but it is flavorful).

Toss the beef and broccoli with the sauce until thoroughly coated.

I serve Broccoli and Beef over white rice or fried rice.

If you are not a recipe follower, feel free to completely disregard my directions and create your own variation! :)