Beef and Broccoli

By Sam Sifton

Published December 11, 2018

  • Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Rebecca Bartoshesky.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(3,951)
Comments
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Here is a streamlined, powerfully flavorful recipe for a delivery-food standby: velvety wok-fried beef in a oyster-soy sauce, served in a forest of green. ‘‘It’s diaspora food,’’ the chef Jonathan Wu told me, describing the cooking of Chinese immigrants to the United States and a dish that is almost unknown in China but beloved in America. The recipe is a version of the one Wu’s mother made for dinner when he was growing up outside Hartford, Conn., with a little chile-garlic paste added for zip and, thanks to the Brooklyn chef Dale Talde, a pat of butter swirled into the sauce at the end. This provides a plush gloss that is far better than the traditional cornstarch slurry. It is midweek family cooking at its best.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ⅓ cup Shaoxing rice wine, dry sherry or sake

  • 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • 1 pound beef — chuck or rib steak — sliced thin against the grain

  • ¼ cup oyster sauce

  • ½ tablespoon chile-garlic sauce, or to taste

  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon neutral oil, like canola, grapeseed or peanut

  • 1 pound broccoli, the head cut into florets and the stems peeled and cut into planks

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

17 grams carbs; 87 milligrams cholesterol; 404 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 22 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 1428 milligrams sodium; 35 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, whisk together the wine, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and the cornstarch. Add the beef to the bowl, and toss to combine, then cover the bowl, and set aside for 20 minutes or so.

  2. Step 2

    To make the sauce, combine in a small bowl the remaining soy sauce, the oyster sauce and the chile-garlic sauce, and mix to combine, then add a tablespoon of water and mix again. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the ½ cup of oil in a wok set over high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add about half the beef to the wok, and stir-fry until it is browned and crisp and barely cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl or plate, and set aside. Then repeat with remaining beef.

  4. Step 4

    Pour off the oil in the wok, wipe it out with a towel and return it to the stove over high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and swirl it around and heat it until it is smoking. Add the broccoli and cook, tossing and stirring frequently, until lightly charred in spots, about 2 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Add 2 tablespoons water to the wok, and toss and stir the broccoli in the steam for an additional 2 minutes, then return beef to the wok, followed by the sauce. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, for 30 seconds or so, then add the butter, and stir and toss again for 30 seconds more. Serve immediately, with rice.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
3,951 user ratings
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Comments

gee ray

"When the oil is hot and shimmering,"... add a slab of ginger and a smashed garlic clove.

Christine

Anna Kao, a locally famous chef and restaurateur in Pittsburgh taught me that freezing the beef for half an hour makes it much easier to slice thinly.

Alberto

Ah yes, the Chinese diaspora produced some interesting variations. My Chinese parents escaped the advancing Japanese army in the late 30's and took the Peter Maersk merchant ship to Guatemala. My mother had to adapt her Chinese cooking to the locally available ingredients. Instead of rice wine, for example, she used rum. She would stir-fry the broccoli with julienned ginger. It's really good with ginger! A variation is to use chicken instead of beef, and omit the oyster sauce.

Madison

I had some extra Thai sweet basil from another recipe I made recently, and I found that it turned out really well when added in at the end after adding in the beef. I do agree with other posters though, about how adding more ginger would taste really good

Janet C.

Absolutely fantastic flavor! It takes a bit of time, but the results are so worth it!

Jimm O'D

What happened to the original 'marinade' with the beef?

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