Weekends are when we dine out or enjoy a good take-away. Every time we do Chinese takeout, Beef and Broccoli is a family favourite. I just love the spicy Beef when combined with plain steamed rice. It is such a simple yet flavorful meal, and the best part is- it's glutenfree! You can even make it a Paleo meal if you replace rice noodles with Cornstarch or Mungbean noodles, which is easily available in the speciality section of the supermarket.
Most of the time the meat used for this particular recipe is flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain. To save on time, I used ready-cut Stroganoff strips which turned out as tasty and reduced the cooking time by half! Give this recipe a try, if you are not fond of Beef, you can replace this with Lamb or even chicken strips.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons cornstarch divided
1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
1 package stroganoff cut Beef strips (around 300 grams)
2tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2-3 cups Broccoli florets
3 cloves freshly minced garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
1 large onion sliced long and thick
2-3 fresh green chilies, sliced
3-4 tbsps reduced sodium Soy Sauce
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
Sesame Oil
water or warm stock
a pinch crushed black pepper
In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with a little water. Add the beef to this, mix well and keep this marinade aside, until ready to cook.
In a large wok over medium high, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil, add the beef and stir this until the meat reaches your desired tenderness. If you place the lid on, the steam helps cooking this faster. Remove lid and stir fry again to reduce any water that comes off the meat. Set this cooked beef for later. In the remaining oil, add the fresh garlic, green chillies and stir this for a minute. In goes the broccoli and onion and toss this for 4-5 minutes. Return the beef strips to the wok. Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan and quickly stir this around. The thickness of the sauce depends on your preference, you can add more water and check the consistency, if you prefer a more gravy then go for more of this. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Garnish with more slit green chillies and crushed black pepper.
Serve hot with steamed rice, glass noodles or mung bean noodles or even gluten free spaghetti.
Tip- If you want a milder version, replace the green chilli with crushed black pepper. You can try this recipe with Mushrooms or Bell peppers in case broccoli isn't readily available. If you are using chicken or meat stock for this dish, make sure you put the salt in last, since stock already has high salt content.