It's been a while since I've done an installment of my fixing Chinese-American cuisine series. My goal with this series isn't to return these dishes to their Chinese roots, but to celebrate the uniqueness of Chinese-American food, a cuisine that forked with the immigrants who brought it over, adapting to local tastes and ingredients.
Broccoli Beef originates from a Chinese dish called _Gai Lan Chao Niu Rou _ (芥兰炒牛肉) or Chinese Broccoli Fried Beef, but since early immigrants could not find Gai Lan in the US, American broccoli became an easy substitute. With the florets ability to absorb the flavors of the beef and sauce, the stunning contrast of colors, and a vaguely healthy aura, it's no surprise that this dish now graces the pages of almost every Chinese-American restaurant.
Unlike Gai Lan, which cooks very quickly, regular broccoli doesn't work particularly well in stir-fries because of its thick dense stem. By the time your broccoli is cooked though, it ends up nearly burnt on the outside, and the beef ends up resembling strips of boot leather.
Many recipes get around this by blanching the broccoli first, but having to boil a separate pot of water defeats the quick simplicity of a stir-fry. What's worse, broccoli florets tend to retain water when they are blanched, which comes out into the sauce, watering it down.
My solution is to quickly fry the beef, remove it from the pan, adding the broccoli with just a bit of water to let it steam, before returning the beef along with the sauce. This ensures that the broccoli is cooked to a crisp vibrant green, while the beef is still tender and moist. Most importantly by gently steaming the broccoli, you avoid subjecting it to high temperatures, which releases dimethyl sulfide; the compound responsible for that funky smell when members of the cabbage family are overcooked.
If you enjoy a good Broccoli Beef, be sure to check out my Beef Yaki Udon recipe that's inspired by this Chinese-American classic dish. Check out my other Chinese-American recipes for classics like like Singapore Noodles and Hunan Chicken.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon potato starch
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 200 grams beef ribeye (thinly sliced)
- 10 grams garlic (2 large cloves)
- 14 grams fresh ginger
- 300 grams broccoli (1 head)
- 2 tablespoons water
- ⅓ cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon potato starch
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Put the soy sauce, shaoxing, ½ teaspoon potato starch and sesame oil into a small bowl and stir to combine. Add the beef and let it it marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Mince the garlic and finely julienne the ginger and place them in a small bowl.
- Prepare the broccoli by peeling the fibrous layer of skin off the main stalk. If you are using a vegetable peeler you'll need to go over the same area several times to get through to the tender center. Cut the peeled stalk off and slice it in half lengthwise and then into bite-sized strips. Cut apart the florets into bite-sized pieces.
- Measure out the 2 tablespoons of water into a small bowl.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon potato starch and white pepper until combined.
- Heat a saute pan or wok until very hot. Add the oil along with the ginger and garlic. Give it a few stirs and then add the marinated beef.
- Stir-fry until the beef is just barely cooked through and then transfer to beef to a clean bowl.
- Add the broccoli and water and cover immediately. Steam for 2 minutes.
- Remove the lid and return the beef to the pan. The potato starch has probably settled, so give the sauce mixture a stir and pour it in with the beef and broccoli.
- Stir-fry until the sauce is thick and has coated everything in a glossy sheen.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Ryan, it won't taste the same, but you could omit the soy sauce and use something else with salt such as sea salt or bullion.
Ryan says
Hmm, I was planning on making this for the next week dinner that I do for the family (2 households come together and cook once a week, pretty nice deal!) BUT I found that this has soy in it and I cant use it because of allergies..
Does anyone know of an alternative, that is also a non gluten (yes more allergies) approximation of soy sauce? I have tried a couple different things in the past with little success.
Laura says
I use organic coconut aminos. The flavor is a bit different flavor but excellent.
Eileen says
I used corn starch, and I must have done something right because it didn't clump. I honestly though I would end up with a very odd sauce lol. This turned out SO awesome. Just waiting on the rice to cook. :3
Marc Matsumoto says
Yes you could, but you'll need to experiment with it as it's not a 1:1 substitution. Also, corn starch thickened products have a different texture (more gloppy) than potato starch, which is why I recommend using potato starch.
OG says
Can I use cornstarch instead of potato starch?
Michael Allen says
Such a wonderful recipe! It tastes like a lighter, more artful take on the takeout classic. It's on my regular rotation, and can be whipped up in a pinch!
Dan says
Great, thanks!
Marc Matsumoto says
I wouldn't change any ingredients, but you'll probably want to cook the chicken all the way through in step 7.
Dan says
Would you alter the recipe otherwise if you were to substitute chicken for beef?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Nancy, sherry will work fine:-)
Nancy Long says
the wine is the only thing that will hard for me to locate where I live, would sherry work as well
kathleenditommaso says
Love this stuff. Excellent technique!
thedogsweetums says
Happy Holidays, Marc! Do you have a recipe for Tibetan Momos too ?
Lena Zapassky says
I like all idea! Thank you!
Maureen says
I love beef with broccoli and this looks so appetizing!