Beef and Broccoli

Beef and Broccoli
Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Rebecca Bartoshesky.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(3,731)
Comments
Read comments

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.

Featured in: The Best Beef and Broccoli, No Delivery Required

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement


Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • cup Shaoxing rice wine, dry sherry or sake
  • 3tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1pound beef — chuck or rib steak — sliced thin against the grain
  • ¼cup oyster sauce
  • ½tablespoon chile-garlic sauce, or to taste
  • ½cup plus 1 tablespoon neutral oil, like canola, grapeseed or peanut
  • 1pound broccoli, the head cut into florets and the stems peeled and cut into planks
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

404 calories; 22 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 1428 milligrams sodium

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.

Powered by

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.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
3,731 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

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

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.

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.

Most all these comments are from 7 years ago. Surprisingly, I haven’t noticed anyone mentioning the 1/2 cup of oil to brown the meat. Sam — GOSH what over kill that is. Using this amount, you’ll be “boiling” your meat in oil instead of browning it using a wok. Start with maybe 3 Tbsp of oil instead. Add another+ for second batch Thanks to someone who suggested buying the wine online. Will certainly give this a try

I made this tonight and did not like it at all. It seemed like too much oyster sauce and rice vinegar. Will not repeat this.

It took me over an hour to clean up from making this delicious dish. There was grease everywhere; on the floor, on the range, on the counters, on everything on the counters near the range. Any ideas?

Private comments are only visible to you.

or to save this recipe.