Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry 西蘭花炒牛肉 (xī lán hūa chǎo nǐu ròu) is usually found in Chinese restaurants outside China. Inside China, gai-lan (Chinese broccoli) and beef stir-fry 芥蘭炒牛肉 is its equivalent less the sesame seeds. Only in the past 10 years, has there been an emergence of broccoli. And maybe in the last 20 years, gai-lan is more readily seen at local supermarkets here in the west.
I hate to sound negative, but, I really dislike how Cantonese restaurants make beef. They soak the beef in water with baking soda to make the beef more tender and moist. This takes away the rich flavor of the beef. And it really messes up the texture, making it artificially tender. This is also how restaurants can use cheaper cuts of meat and still make it tender. Consequently, this is a dish that I must make myself to make it right.
I am very picky when it comes to texture. And beef is a bit trickier to cook well. Of course, a good cut of meat always helps. But to get the rich beef flavor and tender bites, you need a hot pan, oil and the right timing. As for the broccoli, it needs to have a nice emerald green colour. It should be soft but not limp and have a delicate crunch to it.
Try my Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry 西蘭花炒牛肉 recipe and I’ll show you how to achieve the perfect texture of beef and broccoli. Then we tie it all together with a light garlic sweet soy sauce that will adhere to the beef and broccoli florets. Only takes around 15 minutes!
Even my son, who is a definite carnivore, couldn’t believe that he actually likes broccoli! Of course frying it with the flank steak doesn’t hurt either.
Need more dishes to go with your meal? Try my recipes for Hash Brown Pork Patties 香煎豬肉薯餅 or Steamed Egg with Pork 滑蛋蒸豬肉.
Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry 西蘭花炒牛肉
Ingredients
- 250 g Flank steak , sliced
- 400 g Broccoli , cut into bite-size florettes
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp Oil for marinade
- 2 tsp Oil for frying
- 1 tsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp Corn starch for marinade
- 90 ml Water for slurry
- 1 tsp Corn starch for slurry
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 2 tsp Sweet soy sauce
- 2 litres Water for blanching broccoli
Instructions
- Bring 2 litres of water to a boil
- Put the broccoli into the boiling water for 10 seconds, remove from the water and let it sit in a colander until ready to use
- Marinade the beef with 1 tsp of sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp Shaoxing wine and 1 tsp cornstarch. Mix well until the beef absorbs all the liquid. Add 2 tsp of oil and mix well
- Prepare the slurry by mixing 1 tsp of cornstarch to 90ml of water and set aside
- Heat a pan at medium-high heat, add 2 tsp oil and wait for the pan to heat up. Test the oil by using a little piece of the beef to put in the pan. If the beef sizzles, then the pan is ready
If you add the beef when the pan is not hot enough, the beef will lose its juices and become tough - Put the beef into the pan in a single layer and start flipping the beef after 5 seconds. Remove them from the pan after another 5 seconds. Reduce the heat when you take out the beef
If your beef is thicker than 3mm, then flip after 10 seconds and remove from heat after another 10 seconds - Put the heat back up to medium-high and put the broccoli in the pan. Add 1 tbsp oyster sauce and stir-fry for around 4 minutes or to your preferred tenderness
Do not cover with a lid, the broccoli will lose its colour and will be limp - Add the beef back into the pan. Quickly, stir for 10 seconds or until your preferred doneness
My beef was cooked to medium to medium-rare. By the time it goes onto the rice, the beef is pretty much all done to medium - Stir the slurry and add to the pan. Add 2 tsp of sweet soy sauce into the pan and mix
- Turn off the heat. Mix well and serve
Quick and easy and very tasty with rice! Appreciated the suggestions of how much time to cook beef. Never liked cooking beef in stir fry because it was always too well done, but this time it was perfect!! Surprised myself with first bite! I used rib eye steak!!
Hi Kiki. I’m glad to hear your meat turned out perfect! Thanks for sharing & happy cooking!