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Chinese

Beef and Broccoli

Thin slices of flank steak and broccoli in a salty-sweet brown sauce. A weeknight version that still gets a sear on the beef.

Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
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Sliced beef and broccoli in a brown sauce over rice.

Why you’ll love it

  • Slicing the beef thin against the grain is what makes it tender.
  • The sauce is soy, broth, oyster sauce, and a little sugar.
  • Broccoli stays green if it is not boiled in the sauce.
  • It is a complete plate with rice.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Toss the steak with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the cornstarch.

  2. 2

    Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high. Sear the beef in a single layer, about 1 minute per side, until browned but not cooked hard. Remove it.

  3. 3

    Add the remaining oil and the broccoli. Stir-fry 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water, cover 1 minute, then uncover.

  4. 4

    Add garlic and ginger and stir 20 seconds.

  5. 5

    Stir the broth, oyster sauce, remaining soy sauce, and sugar. Pour it in and simmer until glossy, about 1 minute.

  6. 6

    Return the beef and toss. Finish with sesame oil. Serve over rice.

Pro tips

  • Partially freeze the steak for 15 minutes if it is hard to slice thin.
  • Cornstarch on the beef is what gives you a silky sauce. Do not skip it and then add a thickener at random.
  • High heat. If the pan is lukewarm, the beef will boil in its juice.

Easy substitutions

Flank steak
Sirloin, sliced thin.
Oyster sauce
Hoison, 1 tablespoon, if that is what you have. It will be sweeter.
Broccoli
Broccolini or green beans.

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

Warm in a skillet with a spoon of water until the sauce is loose and the beef is hot.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
495
Protein
33 g
Carbs
46 g
Fat
18 g
Fiber
4 g

Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients