The Butler's Table

Beef With Broccoli

Glossy beef and broccoli with oyster sauce, soy, Shaoxing wine, ginger, and garlic.

Chinese Chinese Beef Beef Pan Pan Main Main

Ingredients

Method

  1. Slice the beef

    Slice the flank steak into thin strips, cutting across the grain. Place in a bowl.

  2. Velvet and marinate

    Add the velveting marinade ingredients to the beef: baking soda, salt, 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce, 24 g cornflour, black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon oil. Mix and massage for about 30 seconds, then leave to marinate for 30 minutes to 60 minutes.

  3. Prepare the vegetables

    Mince the garlic and ginger. Cut the broccoli into small florets.

  4. Mix the stir-fry sauce

    Mix the stir-fry sauce ingredients together in a small bowl: 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, chicken stock, and MSG if using. Add up to 1 tablespoon more sugar if you want it sweeter.

  5. Make the slurry

    In another small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons cornflour with cold water to make a smooth slurry. Cold chicken stock can be used instead of the water.

  6. Blanch the broccoli

    Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Blanch the broccoli for 60 seconds to 90 seconds, depending on size, until just cooked but still firm. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.

  7. Sear the beef

    Heat a carbon steel pan or wok over high heat until lightly smoking. Add enough oil to coat the pan, then add the beef in a single layer. Sear for 30 seconds to 60 seconds, then flip and cook hard and fast for another 30 seconds or so. Total cooking time should be about 1 to 1.5 minutes. Remove the beef, keeping the oil and fat.

  8. Fry the aromatics

    Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger with a little of the reserved fat. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds.

  9. Deglaze the pan

    Turn the heat off briefly, add a few tablespoons of Shaoxing wine to deglaze, then turn the heat back to high.

  10. Return the beef and broccoli

    Add the beef back to the pan and toss with the aromatics. Add the sesame oil, then the broccoli.

  11. Glaze with sauce

    Add some of the stir-fry sauce, just enough to glaze everything. Toss well, adding more sauce only if needed.

  12. Thicken and serve

    Add about 3/4 of the cornflour slurry and toss until the sauce becomes glossy and coats the beef and broccoli. Add more slurry if needed, then serve piled high, ideally with steamed rice.

Notes

MSG is optional. The ingredient quantities keep the original marinade, sauce, and slurry amounts, but the method controls how much sauce and slurry to add so the finished dish is glazed rather than soupy.