Beef and Broccoli

I spent forever looking over bookmarks to figure out what I wanted to make last night and I finally realized that I wanted broccoli. I haven't had it in forever, and I then noticed I had several recipes from different blogs but a few of them were actually the same one, Jaden's Beef and Broccoli. I haven't been to Jaden's site to look around yet, but I worked with the recipe off of Pioneer Woman's blog. I absolutely love Pioneer Woman, but that's another story for another post.

Anyway, this beef and broccoli was.. amazing. I tweaked it only the tiniest bit, and it was fantastic. Though the tweaking made it for me. It was pretty easy too, and I got to work with flank steak, which I hadn't before. HURR HURR MEL IS AFRAID OF BEEFS BECAUSE THERE IS SO MANY CUTS. Yeah. I am. :(  DON'T JUDGE MEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Flank steak!

Anyway, the meat was tender, even the parts that had a small ribbon of fat through them that was rock hard while slicing. I tripled the sauce because of a recommendation from another blog who had made it and I'm glad I did. However, next time I would not use a whole pound of pasta, because it drank up the sauce eagerly. Though it'll still taste good, I'd have rather had a tiny bit of a saucier pasta. Maybe half a pound next time! Or some badass rice noodles. Or some rice! THE POSSIBILITIES!

I also got to cut against the grain. Ohhh, fancy talk. I always wondered what exactly "against the grain" meant, so I looked it up and got the easy explanation of likening a piece of beef to a plank of wood. A plank of wood has lines all running in the same direction, just like beef does. That's the grain. So cutting it across the lines, not WITH the lines, is against the grain. The more you know! Also, it made it super fall apart yummy tender oh my god mmmmmmm.

My secret ingredient this time was chili garlic paste.

Oh wow I can't believe how much flavor it added. I was a little nervous, as Sean's stomach can't handle.. uh anything. But it wasn't even noticable. This stuff is awesome, you should definitely get some.

Okay, so, here is the recipe! I know you're drooling with anticipation. (You should be)

Jaden's Beef And Broccoli (as adapted from the The Pioneer Woman)

1 lb (500 g) top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thick strips
11/2 lbs (750 g) broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

BEEF MARINADE
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 teaspoons cooking oil
1/2 to 1 tsp of chili garlic paste
Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef

STIR-FRY SAUCE
9 tablespoons oyster sauce
6 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
6 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
1 tsp chili garlic paste (more or less to taste)

1) In a bowl or ziploc bag, combine the ingredients for the Beef Marinade.

Add the beef and let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature. (I let mine marinate for about half an hour)

2) In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the Stir-fry Sauce.

3) In a wok or large sauté pan, add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

4) Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant.

I love my garlic press.
Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side. I'm pretty sure my cooking time was not that exact, I just cooked them till they were almost totally cooked. But I'm a bad girl who was using a big non stick skillet and not a wok, so what do I know? IF LOVING NON STICK IS WRONG THEN I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT.

5) Pour in the Stir-fry Sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Steamy picture!

Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well. Again, cooking time probably a bit longer than before. I just let it bubble away while my pasta finished cooking.

Then toss with pasta, or serve over rice, or whatever you want! Hooray!

The sauce was good, don't be afraid of oyster sauce, even if you don't like oysters. God knows I can't stand the things, they terrify me. But oyster sauce is just salty and good and you should not fear it, it is your friend. And your stir fry's friend. I also used the balsamic vinegar, and it turned out delicious. But the chili garlic paste MADE it. It woke the sauce up so much and it became awesome. I can't wait for leftovers.