Chinese Beef and Broccoli

Name: Chinese Beef and Broccoli
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 3 -4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour; 1/4 cup water; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce; 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine; 1/8 tsp Chinese five spice powder; 1 tsp sesame oil (optional); 1/8 tsp tsp black pepper; 2 tbsp oil; 12 oz / 360g beef fillet, flank or rump; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped; 4 - 5 cups broccoli florets; 1 cup water; sesame seeds (optional)

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Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings
3 -4
Calories
392 kcal
Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
Chinese-American Fussion

Chinese Beef and Broccoli

Paige Becker

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Recipe video above. Faster than take out, healthier and tastier. This is a recipe from a Chinese restaurant! If using economical beef, consider tenderising it the Chinese way ("velveting", simple, highly effective!)

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Ingredients

Servings

Sauce

2 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
1/4 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 1)
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1)
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) (Note 2)
1/8 tsp Chinese five spice powder (Note 3)
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
1/8 tsp tsp black pepper

Stir Fry

2 tbsp oil
12 oz / 360g beef fillet, flank or rump (Note 4 for tenderising option)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
4 - 5 cups broccoli florets (1 head), cooked (Note 5)
1 cup water

Serving:

sesame seeds (optional)

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Instructions

Place cornflour and water in bowl then mix. Add remaining Sauce ingredients.
Slice the beef into 1/4" / 0.5cm thick slices. Place the beef and 2 tbsp of the Sauce into a bowl and set aside.
Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add beef and spread out, leave for 1 minute until browned.
Stir beef for 10 seconds, then add garlic and ginger. Stir for another 30 seconds or until beef is no longer pink.
Pour Sauce and water into the skillet and quickly mix.
When the sauce starts bubbling, add broccoli. Stir to coat the broccoli in Sauce, then let it simmer for 1 minute or until Sauce is thickened.
Remove from heat immediately and serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Notes

Dark soy sauce makes the sauce colour darker and it has more flavour than light soy sauce. Can use all-purpose soy sauce or just light soy sauce in place of both the soy sauces but the sauce colour will be lighter. Do not use all dark soy sauce - flavour will be too strong.
Chinese cooking wine is an essential ingredient in Chinese stir fry sauces and without it, it will lack that true "restaurant" edge. Dry sherry is a terrific sub, or cooking sake. Mirin can also be used but omit the sugar.
If you cannot consume alcohol, replace 3/4 cup of the water with low sodium chicken broth.
Chinese Five Spice Powder is a mix of five spices. It is available in the herb and spice section of supermarkets and it costs no more than other spices.
Beef - As with all stir fries, this cooks very quickly so you need to use a decent cut of beef for it. Rump, flank, sirloin, t-bone and scotch fillet are excellent for this recipe.
Slice the beef against the grain. When you look at the beef, you will notice that the fibres are mostly going in one direction. Place the beef in front of you so the fibres are going left to right. Then cut through the fibres i.e. cut perpendicular to the direction of the fibres (see here for illustrative image). Cutting it this way makes the beef more tender!
Slow cooking cuts, like chuck, are not suitable unless you tenderise it (see How to tenderise beef the Chinese restaurant way)
If par boiling, place the broccoli into a pot of boiling water, then when it comes back up to a boil, let it boil for 40 seconds (for just cooked) or 1 minute (for tender) then drain. The residual heat will cook the broccoli through while sitting in the colander.
Adapted from this recipe from Woks of Life, my "go to" resource for Chinese takeout recipes!
Nutrition per serving, excluding rice.
Originally published March 2015, updated with new photos, new words, slightly more streamlined recipe and a recipe video!

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 405g Calories 392cal (20%) Carbohydrates 16.7g (6%) Protein 43.5g (87%) Fat 18.3g (28%) Saturated Fat 3.8g (19%) Cholesterol 89mg (30%) Sodium 1101mg (46%) Potassium 517mg (15%) Fiber 4.1g (16%) Sugar 4.1g (8%) Vitamin A 950IU (19%) Vitamin C 187.3mg (208%) Calcium 100mg (10%) Iron 3.1mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 3-4

Amount Per Serving

Calories 392 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	405g
Calories	392cal	20%
Carbohydrates	16.7g	6%
Protein	43.5g	87%
Fat	18.3g	28%
Saturated Fat	3.8g	19%
Cholesterol	89mg	30%
Sodium	1101mg	46%
Potassium	517mg	11%
Fiber	4.1g	16%
Sugar	4.1g	8%
Vitamin A	950IU	19%
Vitamin C	187.3mg	208%
Calcium	100mg	10%
Iron	3.1mg	17%