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Close-up of tender slices of Chinese beef and broccoli florets coated in a savory sauce.

Chinese Beef and Broccoli

Faster than take out, healthier and tastier. This is a recipe from a Chinese restaurant!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Marinating Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Sauce
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 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 black pepper
Stir Fry
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 12 oz beef fillet, flank or rump 360g, 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

Equipment

  • Bowl
  • Skillet

Method
 

  1. Place cornflour and water in a bowl then mix. Add remaining Sauce ingredients.
  2. 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.
  3. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add beef and spread out, leave for 1 minute until browned.
  4. Stir beef for 10 seconds, then add garlic and ginger. Stir for another 30 seconds or until beef is no longer pink.
  5. Pour Sauce and water into the skillet and quickly mix.
  6. 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.
  7. Remove from heat immediately and serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Notes

Note 1: 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.
Note 2: 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.
Note 3: 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.
Note 4: 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. Cutting it this way makes the beef more tender! Slow cooking cuts, like chuck, are not suitable unless you tenderise it.
Note 5: 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.

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