When you are looking for something quick that will use up veggies in your fridge, a stir fry is ideal. With my non-beef eating Hubs out for the evening, Jake and I decided to take advantage of the situation and make this delicious broccoli and beef stir fry! Yum! Once I had the rice made and everything chopped, I swear it took me only minutes to throw together.A good trick is to have everything prepped and ready to go right at the stove so that you can just add it right when you need it.
Adapted From Food Network Magazine March 2010
1 lb lean steak, trimmed and sliced thinly against the grain
3 cups of broccoli florets, blanched (dunked for 30 sec in boiling water and then run under cold water so they were still a bit crunchy)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
salt and pepper
2 scallions, chopped (separate the white and light green bits from the dark green)
sauce:
1/2 cup chicken broth (I subbed in beef broth because I was out of chicken)
pinch of hot pepper flakes
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry
I don't have a wok, but instead a good fry pan. Non stick would be ideal and then you can use less oil, but I don't have one. You can adjust the oil used to the kind of fry pan you have.
Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set by the stove.
Heat your plan with a few glugs of oil in it and add your beef a bit at a time. Thinly sliced bits of beef don't need to be cooked long; just enough to turn them brown. Only put in a bit at a time so the pan doesn't get crowded and the meat has a chance to caramelize a little. Remove the bits as they cook to a plate.
Once all your beef is cooked, toss in your garlic, the white/light green parts of the green onion, and ginger. Turn the heat down to medium and watch it carefully, stirring so that it doesn't burn, and cook for about 1 minute. You may need to add a bit more oil to the pan.
Add the broccoli. Stir fry for about 1 minute. Add the beef back into the pan, stirring. Turn the heat up a bit to medium high, and pour in the sauce. I usually start by pouring 1/2 the sauce in, stirring, and seeing how "juicy" the dish is. If I want more, I can always add more. The sauce will bubble and become thick.
Serve immediately! You can garnish the dish with the green parts of sliced green onion, peanuts, or sesame seeds.
Serves 2 with a bit of leftovers