Elizabeth 
One of my husband’s favorite meals is beef with broccoli. On one of our very first dates, probably date number 4, Andrew took me to one of his favorite Chinese restaurants, Szechuan Empire. He was so excited to share it with me and could hardly contain his excitement as he told me about his love for his all-time favorite Chinese dish. Before Andrew, this was not my usual Chinese dish, or even one that I had ever tried. However, I remember I was pleasantly surprised with how delicious it was.
I think it was a couple years back that I first got the idea to try and recreate Andrew’s favorite beef with broccoli at home. The first, probably six, attempts were yummy and did get eaten, but just weren’t quite there. It wasn’t until we filled our plates, and took our first bite of THIS recipe that we knew it was a winner!
Notes
Be sure to use low-sodium soy sauce, otherwise the sauce will be too salty.
If time allows, try to take the meat out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking to bring to room temperature.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs flank steak
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 heads broccoli, crowns only
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sherry
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the cornstarch, baking soda, sugar, soy sauce, water and oil, and whisk together. Slice the steak, against the grain, into thin strips (about 1/4" thick). Add the steak to the marinade mixture and toss until meat is well coated. Cover and refrigerate in bowl for 1-4 hours.
- Wash and cut up broccoli into (a bit bigger than bite size) florets, and set aside in large bowl.
- In a small bowl, add the flour and brown sugar and stir together. Then add the soy sauce and sherry. Whisk together until smooth. Stir in garlic, and set aside.
- In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the broccoli, cover and cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until "almost done". Return broccoli to clean large bowl.
- Using the now empty pan, over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. When shimmering, add the beef and half of the sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through. Add the broccoli and the remaining sauce and stir together. Cook for 1-2 minutes more until the sauce is nice and thick.
- Serve immediately over white or brown rice. Enjoy!
Copyright © 2014 Elizabeth’s Home LLC
[…] can’t wait to try this recipe for Szechuan Beef and Broccoli from Elizabeth’s Home. It’ll be on next week’s menu, for […]
[…] After many attempts to master the perfect beef with broccoli recipe for my dear husband, I have finally done it. The beef is so tender and the sauce is incredibly thick and delicious. He was totally impressed with this dish! (Beef with broccoli has been a long-time favorite of his and no recipe has ever come close to meeting his expectations, until now). This meal was a total hit! Even better than beef with broccoli in a restaurant! *Update* Check out my latest take on Beef with Broccoli at my new site http://elizabethshome.com/szechuan-beef-with-broccoli/. […]