I used to think there were certain things I would rather order in a restaurant. Chicken parmesan was one of those dishes, until I figured out how easy it was to make a fantastic version at home. It's the same with beef and broccoli. It takes only common pantry ingredients to throw this one together and it is an absolute gourmet.
The Key to Tender Beef and Broccoli: Velveting.
If you are a regular reader of my website (which of course you are), you will remember my chicken & eggplant stir fry. When you order a chicken dish from a Chinese restaurant, have you ever noticed how the chicken is impossibly tender? It's probably because they velveted the chicken. All this means is they cut the chicken into pieces, sprinkled baking soda on it and let it sit for 20-30 minutes to tenderize it. It's a simple step you can take to get your chicken as tender and amazing as it is when you order take-out. Well, you can do the same thing with beef.
Here's How to Velvet Beef:
- Cut your steak into thin slices (about ¼" in thickness).
- Add baking soda to the beef (I sifted it for more even distribution).
- Mix together to coat all the beef.
- Let it sit for 1 hour (it takes longer for beef than chicken)
- Rinse the beef in a strainer.
- Blot the beef dry with paper towel.
Common Kitchen Ingredients Are All you need for Delicious Beef and Broccoli
There is a certain amount of time spent trying to name recipes as a food blogger and I must admit that I drew a rare blank on this one. I contemplated Best Beef and Broccoli Ever, The Ultimate Beef and Broccoli, The Last Beef and Broccoli You'll Ever Make, The Only Beef and Broccoli Recipe You Need, etc. I'm laughing at myself as I'm writing this. It got so dramatic in my head this time so I finally decided on Beef and Broccoli (that's it). Let's just keep it simple with this one. It made more sense because this is a pretty straightforward recipe that is approachable and delicious. Simple ingredients that make a very tasty beef and broccoli.
Most Ingredients are Common Pantry Items:
- Steak from the freezer (I always have Petite N.Y. Sirloin on hand because I stock up when it goes on sale)
- Soy sauce
- Garlic
- Beef Broth (I made mine with a bouillon cube)
- Corn starch
- Scallions
- Salt & pepper
- Oil
- Broccoli
- Brown sugar
- White rice
A Recipe for Four People or Two with Leftovers
I absolutely love cooking with leftovers in mind. It's one of my favorite things to do which I know sounds really dorky. But I've put a lot of thought into food, recipe planning and budgeting over these past few years. I think about all of our busy lives and I do understand that cooking takes time. Shopping for food takes time. Planning a week ahead takes time.
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But I guarantee if you put a little bit of time into planning and cooking food at home your budget will be in much better shape. I've been known to lament about people eating out lunch every day. I used to work in a corporate setting where my co-workers spent $15 a day on lunch - sometimes more. I never understood how they could afford to do that.
We are living in crazy times where eating out a restaurant is becoming a luxury in life. Grocery prices are higher than they've ever been. We need to look for sales to buy things like steak or ground beef. And remember when eggs cost, like, a thousand dollars? Was that not one of the craziest things you've seen in your lifetime of grocery shopping?
All this is to say, if you're already buying groceries and planning meals - just make a little more than you need and you've solved your lunch dilemma for the next day or two as well. When I emphasize leftovers for lunch, I try to make sure it's a recipe that tastes really good re-heated. Not everything tastes great as leftovers. But this beef and broccoli is a prime candidate for re-heating.
Easy Steps for Making Beef & Broccoli (that's it)
Are You Looking for More Ideas with an Asian Flair?
- Chicken & Eggplant Stir Fry
- Mie Goreng (Indonesian Fried Noodles with Chicken)
- Fried Rice with Chinese Sausage
- Dan Dan Noodles (dandanmian)
- Ginger Pork Stir Fry w/Chili Oil, Mint & Cilantro
- Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
- Spicy Garlic Chili Noodles
- General Tso's Chicken (Trader Joe's Hack)
Beef and Broccoli (that's it)
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions 1x
Description
You'll love this approachable and delicious beef and broccoli recipe. Most ingredients are pantry staples you'll already have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds New York Petite Sirloin, sliced thin (more options in note #1)
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 5 cups broccoli, chopped (approx. two medium heads)
- 1 ½ tablespoons garlic, finely diced (4-5 cloves, depending on size)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated or finely diced (pinky-sized piece)
- ½ to 1 bunch of scallions, chopped
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt (to season the steak)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (to season the steak)
- canola oil for frying
- 5-6 thin slices of red pepper (optional garnish)
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- ¾ cup beef broth
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
For the rice:
- 2 cups basmati rice (cook to package instructions)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
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Instructions
- Depending on the size and shape of your steak, slice it into thin strips (about ¼” in thickness). You can chose the length, just make sure the pieces are cut around the same size so they cook evenly. My slices were about 2” long. Remember to slice against the grain of the meat so it's easier to chew.
- Spread out your slices of steak on a sheet pan and sift the baking soda over the beef. My video shows this well. Make sure to distribute evenly. This technique is called velveting and it will tenderize the beef before cooking. Toss the beef to coat then put in refrigerator for one hour.
- Chop broccoli into small-to-medium florets and put in a pot with water and a steamer basket. Set aside for now.
- Finely dice the garlic. I usually slice the garlic into thin rounds, then dice it down into smaller bits from there.
- Cut a thick pinky-sized piece of ginger and peel it with a kitchen peeler or knife. I grated it on a microplane. If you don't have a microplane just finely dice it with a knife.
- Chop the scallions. You can use a whole bunch if you love scallions like me. Otherwise, half a bunch should work. I like to have extra to serve on the side. You can use the extra chopped scallions for other recipes liked baked potatoes.
- If you are using the optional red pepper garnish, you can slice 5-6 strips of pepper now.
- Plan your time here. When the steak has been in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, you can probably start the rice. Plan for 20-30 minutes to cook the rice.
- With the broccoli plan your time as well. You could start cooking it when you take the steak out of the refrigerator. Cook on high heat with lid on the pot for 10 minutes. Check the tenderness at 10-minute mark. If you like a softer broccoli, leave it steaming a couple of extra minutes. When it's ready – remove it from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Run under cool water for a minute to stop the cooking process if you think you need to. Don't overcook the broccoli because it could turn to mush when you add it to the pan.
- When steak is finished velveting/tenderizing, put in a strainer and run under water to rinse off the baking soda. Then transfer to a sheet pan and blot dry with paper towel. Dry it well here. Season with salt and pepper. When I season protein, I like to let it sit for a few minutes after salting and peppering.
- Add the sauce ingredients (cornstarch, beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar) to a mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined.
- You'll need two pans for this so you don't crowd the beef. Add a tablespoon or two of canola oil to each pan and put heat on high. Make sure the oil is hot before adding beef. Distribute beef to both pans and lay the pieces flat with no overlapping.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes on high heat until you can see it browning and crisping around the edges. Toss the beef in each pan.
- Add the ginger and garlic to one pan and give a mix. Turn down the heat a little here so you don't burn the garlic. You can now add the beef from the other pan and stir all the beef, garlic and ginger together for a minute.
- Add about a ¼ cup of chopped scallions to the beef pan and stir. Then add the sauce and stir.
- The sauce will thicken fairly quickly. Stir for a minute or two – it will also darken here as well.
- Add the steamed broccoli and give one final mix and you're done.
Equipment
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Calphalon Saute Pan with Lid (5QT)
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Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup (2 Cup)
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Steamer Insert, Stainless Steel
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- You can also use regular sirloin, flank steak or ribeye for this recipe. The petite N.Y. sirloin is the one I always use because it's usually the most affordable and goes on sale more often than other cuts.
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