Chinese Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
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Takeout beef and broccoli is a gamble. Not this one. Think thin slices of flank steak seared fast, broccoli still bright and snappy, and a glossy soy and ginger sauce that thickens in the pan in about 30 seconds. Chinese Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, start to finish, in roughly the time it takes to cook rice. Tender beef, no gray, no gloop.
Chinese Beef and Broccoli at Home
The difference between restaurant beef and broccoli and the disappointing homemade kind is almost never the sauce. It’s the beef.
Takeout kitchens slice it paper thin and it’s in and out of the pan in about 90 seconds, which is why it’s so tender. At home we cut thicker pieces and then keep cooking until we feel confident, and confident is usually a minute past tender.
So that’s the one thing I pay attention to here. Thin slices, across the grain, out of the pan a little sooner than feels right.
Everything else about this is relaxed. The sauce stirs together in a bowl while the beef firms up in the freezer. The broccoli wants 2 minutes. No wok, no special equipment, nothing you need to go hunting for.
There is sriracha in the sauce, which is not remotely traditional and which I’m not apologizing for.
The Best Cut of Beef for Stir Fry
- Flank steak is my first choice and it’s what I use. The grain runs in one obvious direction, so it’s almost impossible to slice wrong, and it’s lean enough to cook fast without turning greasy.
- Skirt steak works beautifully too, with a bit more fat and more flavor.
- Sirloin or flat iron are both good and a little more forgiving if you’re nervous about slicing.
- A cheap stir fry pack from the meat counter is fine as long as you re slice it yourself. Whatever the store did, it’s probably thicker than you want.
How to slice it
Freeze the beef for about 20 minutes first. Not frozen through, just firm. Soft raw beef squashes and slips under the knife and you end up with thick uneven pieces. Firm beef slices cleanly and thinly, and this one trick does more for the finished dish than anything else.
Cut across the grain. Look at the surface and you’ll see the muscle fibers running one way. Your knife goes perpendicular to them. Cutting along the grain leaves those fibers long and gives you beef you have to work at.
Aim for about an eighth of an inch. Thin enough that it cooks through in 3 minutes, because that’s all it’s getting.
Ingredients in Beef and Broccoli
- Flank steak (1 pound): Trimmed and sliced thin against the grain. See the section above on which cut and how to slice it, because I think about that part more than anything else in this recipe.
- Broccoli (1 head, cut into small florets): Small florets, not whole trees. They cook faster and they hold more sauce.
- Low sodium soy sauce (½ cup): Low sodium genuinely matters here, because there’s half a cup of it going in. Regular soy would take this somewhere unpleasant.
- Cornstarch (2 tablespoons): What turns the sauce glossy and makes it cling to the beef instead of pooling in the bottom of the pan.
- Garlic (3 cloves, minced) and fresh ginger (1 teaspoon, minced): Both go into the sauce rather than straight into the hot pan, so there’s no chance of them burning.
- Shaoxing wine (3 tablespoons): Chinese cooking wine, usually in the Asian aisle. Dry sherry is the standard substitute and apple cider will do at a push.
- Honey (3 tablespoons): The sweetness that balances out all that soy.
- Toasted sesame oil (2 tablespoons): Goes in the sauce, not the pan. It has a low smoke point and heating it hard just burns off the flavor you bought it for.
- Red pepper flakes (¼ teaspoon) and sriracha (1 tablespoon): Also not traditional, also entirely my doing. Leave them both out if heat isn’t your thing and the recipe still works perfectly.
- Beef broth (½ cup): Loosens the sauce so there’s enough to coat everything properly. Low sodium chicken broth works just as well.
- Olive oil (1 tablespoon): For searing the beef.
How To Make Beef and Broccoli
Slice The Beef: Into the freezer for 20 minutes first, then thin slices across the grain. This is the only part of the recipe that asks anything of you and it’s over in 5 minutes.
Mix The Sauce: While the beef firms up, whisk the soy sauce, cornstarch, garlic, Shaoxing wine, honey, ginger, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, sriracha and beef broth together in a bowl.
Set that bowl right next to the stove. Once the beef goes in, things move quickly and you won’t want to be looking for it.
Sear The Beef: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high until it shimmers, then add the beef in a single layer and leave it alone for 3 to 4 minutes, until it’s browning at the edges.
I mean actually leave it. Stirring drops the pan temperature and the beef steams instead of browning. If your pan can’t hold it all in one layer, do it in 2 batches, which is less annoying than it sounds and makes a real difference.
Add The Sauce: Pour it in and give everything a stir. It thickens almost immediately, so don’t wander off. Within about 30 seconds it goes from thin and watery to glossy and clinging, and that’s exactly what you want.
Add The Broccoli: In it goes, and 2 minutes is all it needs.
For bright green and snappy broccoli, keep the lid off and keep it moving. For softer broccoli, put a lid on so it steams. Both are correct and it depends entirely on how you like it.
Serve: Over rice or noodles, straight away, while the sauce is still glossy and the broccoli still has some bite.
This recipe is the BEST EVER! Made it on the weekend, just in time after making a fresh batch of beef stock. Best BEEF BROCCOLI ever! Thanks a million for this easy and super delicious recipe!
Do You Need To Velvet The Beef?
Short answer: not for this recipe. Longer answer, because a lot of people ask.
Velveting is the Chinese restaurant technique of marinating meat in cornstarch, usually with egg white or a little baking soda, then blanching it briefly in oil or water before it goes into the stir fry. It coats the surface and keeps the meat from drying out, which is how restaurants get that slippery tender texture even on cheaper cuts.
It works. It’s also an extra step and an extra pan, and it exists mainly because restaurant kitchens are cooking tougher cuts in bulk.
This recipe gets there a different way. Thin slices plus a fast sear plus a sauce that’s already thickening means the beef is only in contact with real heat for about 3 minutes total, and it doesn’t have time to toughen.
If you’d like to try velveting anyway, the usual home version is to toss the sliced beef with 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and ¼ teaspoon baking soda, rest it 20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry before cooking. I’ve written that as general technique rather than as my method, so give it a test run before you put your name on it.
What To Serve With Beef and Broccoli
Plain steamed rice is the traditional answer and it’s traditional because the sauce needs somewhere to go.
Otherwise: egg noodles, Asian Green Beans if you want another vegetable, or an Asian Style Slaw for something cold and crunchy against all that warm sauce.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. The broccoli softens overnight and the sauce thickens further, both of which are fine.
Reheating: A hot skillet with a splash of water or broth, tossing for 2 to 3 minutes. The liquid loosens the sauce back up. A microwave works too, though the beef firms up a little more that way.
Freezer: I wouldn’t. Cooked broccoli comes out of the freezer limp and watery, and this takes 30 minutes to make from scratch.
More Fake-out Takeout Recipes:
- 15 Minute Chicken Broccoli
- Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta
- 30 Minute One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Beef Broccoli Noodle Stir Fry
- Asian Style Pepper Steak
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Chinese Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Video
Ingredients
Sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce (low sodium )
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (minced)
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
- ½ cup beef broth (low sodium)
Beef and Broccoli
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound flank steak (trimmed and sliced thin against the grain)
- 1 head broccoli (cut into small florets)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Freeze 1 pound flank steak for 20 minutes to make slicing easier, then slice it very thin against the grain.
- Whisk together ½ cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 3 cloves minced garlic, 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, 3 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon sriracha and ½ cup beef broth in a bowl.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef in a single layer and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, until it starts to brown. Pour in the sauce, which will thicken almost immediately.
- Add 1 head broccoli florets and cook for about 2 more minutes, until tender. For softer broccoli, cover the pan so it steams.
- Serve over rice or noodles.
Equipment
Notes
- Freeze the beef for 20 minutes before slicing. Firm beef slices thin and clean. Soft beef squashes under the knife.
- Slice against the grain at about an eighth of an inch. This is the biggest factor in whether the beef is tender.
- Sear in batches if your pan is crowded. Crowded beef steams instead of browning.
- Flour can replace the cornstarch if that’s what you have, though the sauce won’t be quite as glossy.
- Dry sherry or apple cider both work in place of the Shaoxing wine.
- Lid off for bright green broccoli, lid on for softer. Both are good, it’s a preference.
- The sauce keeps for a week in a jar in the fridge. Shake before using.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Can I use chicken or pork instead?
Yes, and the sauce doesn’t care. Chicken thighs sliced thin are excellent and take about the same time. Pork loin works too. Shrimp is great but needs around 90 seconds, so add it at the very end.
Why is my stir fry beef tough?
Almost always the slicing. Either it was cut along the grain rather than across it, or the pieces were too thick to cook through in 3 minutes. Freeze the steak before slicing and cut across the fibers at about an eighth of an inch, and the difference is immediate.
How do I keep the broccoli bright green?
Keep the lid off, keep it moving, and pull it at 2 minutes. Covered broccoli steams, and steamed broccoli goes olive drab. If you like it softer, that trade is yours to make and it still tastes good.
Can I use frozen broccoli?
You can. Thaw it and pat it dry first, because the extra water will thin out your sauce. The texture is softer than fresh, so add it at the very end just to heat through.
Do I need a wok?
No. I make this in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. What you actually want is a wide pan that holds heat well, so the beef sears instead of steaming. A big stainless or cast iron pan beats a small wok every time.
Can I make the sauce ahead?
Yes, up to a week in the fridge in a jar. Shake it before using, since the cornstarch settles to the bottom.
