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INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound flank steak sliced into 1/4 inch thick strips
- 3 cups small broccoli florets
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
INSTRUCTIONS
- Toss sliced beef in a large bowl with corn starch.
- Heat canola oil in a pan over medium heat for a few minutes. Add sliced beef and cook until it browns, a few minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add broccoli and garlic to the pan, and stir. Add beef broth. Let simmer until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While waiting for the broccoli to cook, combine all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Add the reserved beef and sauce to the pan, and stir. Let simmer for 5 minutes so the sauce thickens a bit.
- Serve beef and broccoli over cooked white rice.
Beef and broccoli is a staple dish that you’ll find at nearly all Chinese American restaurants or takeout places. I love beef and broccoli because (a) I can’t resist anything with tender and tasty strips of flank steak, and (b) it’s such an easy one-pan stir fry recipe that takes less than 30 minutes total. Also, if you’re a huge broccoli fan like me, you’ll love these juicy and flavorful bites of broccoli in between mouthfuls of meat and rice.
Best Tips To Tenderize Stir Fry Beef
One of the best things about this beef and broccoli recipe is the ultra tender beef. If you ever wondered how Chinese restaurants make their beef so tender, you can follow these tips:
- Cut of beef: I use flank steak for this dish, but if you opt for more premium cuts then you will get beef from more tender parts of the cow. If you find pre-cut beef strips or “beef for stir fry” sold at your supermarket, that will work great here as well.
- Thin cuts: You want to slice very thin cuts of beef, about 1/4 inch. For even more tender beef, you can try slicing even thinner pieces. The thinner the beef, the more tender it will be.
- Slicing against the grain: Notice the long muscle fibers across the beef and how they are aligned. You should slice perpendicular to those lines, so that you are cutting through the fibers. This will result in less work for your teeth and it will make the beef taste more tender.
- Corn starch: Toss the sliced beef with corn starch prior to searing, as it’ll soften and tenderize the beef. This is a common step in many Chinese dishes. Corn starch also helps the beef retain its liquids so that it doesn’t exude juices when it’s cooked.
- Quick sear: Don’t overcook the beef slices — just a quick sear until they’re browned. If you overcook the beef, it will get rough and hard.
I follow these tips for this beef and broccoli recipe, my Mongolian beef, and all of my Asian stir fry dishes for ultra tender beef every time.
Beef and broccoli is a delicious meal to enjoy for lunch or dinner, and leftovers reheat well in the microwave. I usually serve it with cooked white rice alongside vegetable egg rolls. There’s a decent amount of sauce that comes with this recipe, so you’ll want some rice to help sop up the sauce. Yum!
For a healthier version of beef and broccoli, check out my newer low carb beef and broccoli recipe which is served with cauliflower rice. That recipe also includes full nutritional information.
I made a lot of changes. I still love the recipe but felt it lacked a lot. I added carrots, onion, and fresh sliced garlic in addition to broccoli. I used some butter and double the amount of beef broth. Instead of using a lot of soy sauce, I used 1/2 cup of liquid amino instead of soy sauce and doubled the amount of brown sugar.
When I do this recipe again I will put onion and garlic in with the steak instead of waiting.
All in all, I like the basis of the recipe.
It was perfect!! Added some fresh ginger for a little extra flavor! Will definitely make it again!
Was very good. Make sure to use low sodium soy sauce. I would also recommend not cooking broccoli the entire 10 minutes. It was too soft and we like a bite to ours.
Tried this yesterday and added noodles. It is very easy and delicious.
This was easy and so delicious! I added onions and sliced shiitake mushrooms also. After it cooled down (when I was cleaning up) I tasted a spoonful of the sauce and it was so yummy! I will definitely make again.
Made this tonight! Better than any restaurant I’ve had!
Way too sweet!
This was great. I did modify a little. I did season steak with salt and pepper and ginger. I also added Sesame seeds and red peppers in when cooking broccoli. We also topped with scallions. Definitely will make again.
Has anyone ever tried to replace the brown sugar with either coconut sugar or agave nectar?
I plan to do coconut sugar today and half it to just two TBS instead of 1/4cup.
I replaced the sugar with Swerve and it turned out great!
I made this tonight, exactly as written, and it was delicious! My husband said it is just as good as the dish at our favorite Chinese restaurant. Thanks so much!
Can you substitute chicken for beef? Would you make any changes if yes?!
I think chicken would work well. Just make sure to slice it thinly and fully cook it before taking it out of the pan.
Should I still use beef stock?
Yes, you should still use beef stock.
I made this tonight, the entire family loved it. I’d change nothing about this recipe! Husband threw sriracha on his for a kick.
Finally was able to make this for my very picky family and they loved it!
Made this for the second time – quick, easy and delicious! Use lower sodium broth and soy. We had a bell pepper so added that with the broccoli. This time, we had ginger so I grated that into the marinade. A pinch of red pepper flakes adds the spice we like!
I did it a little differently. I added salt and pepper to the meat. I added a yellow onion in with the broccoli. It was awesome.
Delicious and easy to make! I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce so I used a little less.
I have made this recipe several times. It really is crazy good and quick to put together after work. My husband likes it a lot.
Made this for my husband and parents-in-law! So good! I made sticky rice with it instead of regular rice!
Can you use shrimp instead of beef?
I haven’t tried making that substitution, but I think it would work well with the broccoli and other flavors in this dish. If you give it a try, please let me know what you think.
I had leftover prime rib so I used that along with fresh broccoli from my garden. Pure deliciousness!
This is absolutely by far one of the best recipes I have ran across! It’s so light and fresh! It’s became a favorite in my home!
This was really tasty and easy to make. I used regular soy sauce and the dish ended up pretty salty. Definitely stick with the low sodium soy sauce that the recipe calls for.
Can this be saved for the next day to eat as a school lunch?
Very easy to make and everyone loved it!
This sounds sooo good. Cant wait to try it. The ingredients just got added to my grocery list for tomorrows shopping. THANKS!
Awesome, hope you love it!! 🙂