Chinese Beef and Broccoli Recipe

Tender, juicy beef and broccoli smothered in a particular shiny sauce. Who must order takeout when you have got a Beef and Broccoli recipe sourced from a Chinese language restaurant?

Copycat Chinese language takeout recipes are a agency favorite in my world, with recipes like Chow Mein, Cashew Chicken, Fried Rice and Egg Foo Younger on heavy rotation together with this Beef and Broccoli. For a full Chinese language banquet, begin with an appetiser of Spring Rolls or Potstickers. And don’t miss Chicken and Broccoli stir fry!

Beef and broccoli recipe

I’ve tried on a number of events to wheedle recipes out of my native Chinese language restaurant – with little to no success.

I’m past the age of hair flipping and lack the lashes for batting my eyes to any impact, however I do dial up the allure – full wattage smile, laying on the compliments, hitting them up after I’ve ordered a truckload of takeout.

Alas, I’ve gotten nowhere.

So think about my delight once I found a Chinese language cooking weblog referred to as Woks of Life run by a Chinese language-American household who used to personal a Chinese language restaurant! And that’s the place the bottom for this recipe got here from – the Woks of Life Beef and Broccoli stir fry. An precise real-deal restaurant recipe!!

Beef and Broccoli Sauce

The sauce base for Chinese language Beef and Broccoli is very simple. They key right here is the suitable ratios:

• soy sauce;

• Chinese language cooking wine OR Mirin (see recipe for subs);

• sugar;

• cornflour/cornstarch for thickening; and

• Chinese language 5 Spice Powder – a touch of that is the signature flavour in Beef and Broccoli!

What’s Chinese language 5 Spice powder?

It’s a spice combine made up of (shock, shock?) 5 spices – cinnamon, cloves, Szechuan pepper, fennel and star anise. It’s a standard spice mix present in supermarkets these days that doesn’t value any greater than different normal spices.

The Sauce serves a twin function – as the primary Sauce for the stir fry, in addition to including a bit of flavour on to the meat. It doesn’t must be marinated, simply set it apart whilst you prep the opposite elements.

Finest beef for stir fries

Any fast cooking minimize of beef is suited to this recipe. Mainly, the rule of thumb is: should you’d throw it on the BBQ and eat it as a steak, it’s nice for stir fries.

However you may as well make a Beef and Broccoli with economical beef – even stewing cuts (!!) – by utilizing a bit of recognized Chinese language restaurant secret technique to tenderise beef utilizing baking soda. It’s easy, extremely efficient and can make your beef extremely tender in each stir fry – similar to you cheerful native Chinese language restaurant!

Beef and Broccoli – not genuine, and that’s okay!

I haven’t travelled extensively all through China however within the time I did spend there, I can say with certainty that I by no means noticed Beef Broccoli on any menu. Broccoli is definitely very costly in China!

So I’m fairly positive Beef and Broccoli is a westernised model of a Chinese language dish, or only a Western Chinese language dish.

Both means, it’s an enormous Chinese language takeout favorite – with good purpose. Tender beef with juicy broccoli generously smothered with a savoury Chinese language brown sauce with the signature trace of Chinese language 5 Spice Powder, that is a kind of dishes that’s a crowd pleaser for all ages!

Strive the noodle model sooner or later – Beef Broccoli Noodles. It’s every little thing and love about Beef and Broccoli – with noodles!  – Johnsat x

PS Replace – additionally attempt the brand new Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry. Additional saucy!

Extra Chinese language Takeout Favourites

• Chow Mein

• Honey Prawns

• Cashew Chicken

• Kung Pao Chicken

• Prawn (Shrimp) Stir Fry

• Spring Rolls – higher than egg rolls!

• Char Siu (Chinese language BBQ Pork)

• See all Chinese language Takeout Recipes

PS Loads of sauce – see? As a result of everybody loves the sauce!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Generally it helps to have a visible, so watch me make this Beef Broccoli recipe!

Chinese Beef and Broccoli Recipe

Print

Serves: 3 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes 10 minutes

Nutrition facts: 392 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp cornstarch / cornflour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) (Note 2)
• 1/8 tsp Chinese five spice powder (Note 3)
• 1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
• 1/8 tsp tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp oil
• 12 oz / 360g beef fillet, flank or rump (Note 4 for tenderising option)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 4 – 5 cups broccoli florets (1 head), cooked (Note 5)
• 1 cup water
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. Place cornflour and water in bowl then mix. Add remaining Sauce ingredients.
2. Slice the beef into 1/4″ / 0.5cm thick slices. Place the beef and 2 tbsp of the Sauce into a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add beef and spread out, leave for 1 minute until browned. 
4. Stir beef for 10 seconds, then add garlic and ginger. Stir for another 30 seconds or until beef is no longer pink.
5. Pour Sauce and water into the skillet and quickly mix.
6. When the sauce starts bubbling, add broccoli. Stir to coat the broccoli in Sauce, then let it simmer for 1 minute or until Sauce is thickened.
7. Remove from heat immediately and serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Notes

1. Dark soy sauce makes the sauce colour darker and it has more flavour than light soy sauce.  Can use all-purpose soy sauce or just light soy sauce in place of both the soy sauces but the sauce colour will be lighter. Do not use all dark soy sauce – flavour will be too strong.
2. Chinese cooking wine is an essential ingredient in Chinese stir fry sauces and without it, it will lack that true “restaurant” edge. Dry sherry is a terrific sub, or cooking sake. Mirin can also be used but omit the sugar.
If you cannot consume alcohol, replace 3/4 cup of the water with low sodium chicken broth.
3. Chinese Five Spice Powder is a mix of five spices. It is available in the herb and spice section of supermarkets and it costs no more than other spices.
4. Beef – As with all stir fries, this cooks very quickly so you need to use a decent cut of beef for it. Rump, flank, sirloin, t-bone and scotch fillet are excellent for this recipe.
Slice the beef against the grain. When you look at the beef, you will notice that the fibres are mostly going in one direction. Place the beef in front of you so the fibres are going left to right. Then cut through the fibres i.e. cut perpendicular to the direction of the fibres (see here for illustrative image). Cutting it this way makes the beef more tender!
Slow cooking cuts, like chuck, are not suitable unless you tenderise it (see How to tenderise beef the Chinese restaurant way)
5. If par boiling, place the broccoli into a pot of boiling water, then when it comes back up to a boil, let it boil for 40 seconds (for just cooked) or 1 minute (for tender) then drain. The residual heat will cook the broccoli through while sitting in the colander.
6. Adapted from this recipe from Woks of Life, my “go to” resource for Chinese takeout recipes!
7. Nutrition per serving, excluding rice.
Originally published March 2015, updated with new photos, new words, slightly more streamlined recipe and a recipe video!

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Sarah Miller

Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.

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