Better-Than-Takeout Broccoli Beef

Hello and welcome! Recently, Alex and I have been trying our hand at recreating our favorite Chinese Takeout dishes. A while back I did Kung Pao Chicken that was so much better than my memories of ordering it at my local Chinese restaurant. That cooking experience really boosted our confidence to try another favorite: Broccoli Beef. This dish starts with marinated flank steak, so let’s get to the marinade!

Flank Steak

Start with a one-and-a-half to two pound flank steak, and pop it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, this will make it easier to thinly slice. While it’s chilling, make the marinade. Whisk together soy sauce, water, sesame oil, Shaoxing Cooking Wine (or dry sherry). Add light brown sugar, baking soda, corn starch and the optional MSG. Whisk everything together until the mixture is emulsified and smooth. Set this aside and pull the flank steak out of the freezer.

To slice the flank steak, first remove any silver skin from the exterior. Then, slice the flank steak, with the grain, into three pieces. Then, going against the grain, slice each large piece into thin 1/8-inch strips.

Place the strips into a zipper lock bag, pour in the marinade and carefully squeeze out the air and zip the bag closed. Flatten the bag and massage the marinade into all the pieces of flank steak. Let this sit out at room temp while we prep the rest of the ingredients and the finishing sauce.

Garlic, Ginger, Onion Oil

This ginger, onion and garlic oil will be added to the wok when the flank steak is just about done, and just before we add the broccoli to the wok. I used a rasp grater to grate 1/4 of a white onion, a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger and 6 cloves of garlic. Tiny whisk the aromatics together with two tablespoons of vegetable or grapseed oil. Peanut oil would be another good oil to use – we need a high smoke point oil, so olive oil is not a good option, as it will smoke and burn too quickly in the hot wok or skillet. Once mixed together, set this aside.

Broccoli Beef Sauce

This finishing sauce will go on the Broccoli Beef while it’s still in the wok; we will just cook the Broccoli Beef for about 2 minutes in this sauce. The same flavors in the marinade are going into this sauce, but we are also adding 1/4 cup chicken broth, which will provide enough liquid to steam the broccoli just enough to finish it off.

Whisk together soy sauce, Shaoxing Cooking wine (or dry sherry), vegetable oil, broth and corn starch. Set this aside. Then it’s on to the broccoli. We have one pound of broccoli and we just want to use the florets. So chop off the stalk (save it for stock!) and separate the top into small florets.

Wok cooking happens pretty quickly because we are cooking over a high heat. If you don’t have a wok, you can do this in a large skillet. Go ahead and drain flank steak from the marinade, I just poured the contents of the Ziplock into a colander to drain off the marinade.

We have a wok for the Big Green Egg, so we are taking this whole operation outside; where Alex has a hot fire going under the wok, which is screaming hot.

Oil your wok or skillet with one tablespoon of vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmery and just beginning to show wisps of smoke, add the flank steak in a single layer and let it brown for 1-2 minutes before giving it its first stir.

After its first stir, cook the flank steak for another two minutes. The cook time is going to depend on how hot your wok or skillet is, but Flank Steak cooks quickly and once it’s developing brown spots and is no longer pink, go ahead and add the Garlic, Ginger, Onion Oil. Give it a stir and immediately add the broccoli.

Give this a few good stirs and add the Broccoli Beef Sauce. Keep cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes. Transfer the Broccoli Beef to a bowl and let sit for 2-3 minutes. The heat from the mixture will allow the broccoli to continue to cook – just enough so the broccoli is crisp-tender.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and chives, or scallions. Serve with rice, if desired.

Restaurant-worthy Broccoli Beef is right at your fingertips! This recipe is super-easy, no wok required. The ginger and garlic really come through from that onion oil we added near the end. All in all, this Broccoli Beef will satisfy your craving for Chinese takeout. Remember to give me a follow over on Pinterest and Instagram! Thanks everyone, take care and be well. xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Better-Than-Takeout Broccoli Beef

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Dinner, Main Course – Chinese

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 30 Minutes – Cooking Time: ~10 Minutes – Total Time: ~40 Minutes

Flavorful, tender flank steak is marinated then cooked quickly over high heat with ginger, garlic and onion. Broccoli is perfectly crisp-tender.

Ingredients

• Marinade and Steak
• 2 tbsp. Shaoxing Cooking Wine (or Dry Sherry)
• 2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
• 2 tbsp. Water
• 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
• 1/2 tsp. MSG (optional)
• 1.5 -2 lb. Flank Steak
• Garlic, Ginger, Onion Oil
• 1/4 medium White Onion, grated on a box grater
• 2-inch piece Fresh Ginger, grated on a rasp grater or zester
• 6-8 cloves Garlic, grated on a rasp grater or zester
• 2 tbsp. Vegetable, Grapeseed or Peanut Oil
• Broccoli Beef Sauce
• 2 tbsp. Vegetable, Grapeseed or Peanut Oil
• 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
• 2 tbsp. Shaoxing Cooking Wine (or Dry Sherry)
• 1.5 tsp. Corn Starch
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• Broccoli
• 1 lb. Broccoli Florets, cut into 1-inch pieces

Instructions

Marinade and Steak

1

Place flank steak in freezer for 20-30 minutes before slicing.

2

Whisk together marinade ingredients and set aside.

3

Slice flank steak with the grain, lengthwise into three pieces.

4

Slice each piece of flank steak, against the grain, into 1/8"-thick strips. Add beef to zipper lock bag and pour in marinade. Squeeze out air and lay bag flat, massage marinade into meat to coat and let sit at room temp while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Garlic, Ginger, Onion Oil

5

Whisk together grated ginger, garlic, onion and oil. Set aside.

Broccoli Beef Sauce

6

Whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.

Stir Fry

7

Drain marinade off of meat.

8

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until oil just begins to smoke.

9

Add beef to wok or skillet in a single layer and let cook without stirring for about 2 minutes.

10

Stir beef and continue to cook until beef slices are spotty brown and no longer pink. About 2 minutes longer.

11

Add the onion/garlic/ginger oil to the beef and stir to coat the beef, then immediately add the broccoli florets.

12

Cook, stirring until the broccoli begins to turn bright green and soften slightly.

13

Pour in the Broccoli Beef sauce and stir to coat everything in the sauce, keep cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes.

14

Transfer to a bowl and let sit for 2-3 minutes.

15

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and diced chives or scallions.

16

Serve with rice.