This dish will remind you of the delicious (but not so healthy) beef and broccoli you eat at your favorite Chinese restaurant. This one is a lot better for you!

I get asked all the time for this recipe. It seems to be comfort food for most families. It’s perfect for the weeknight because it comes together really quickly and everybody seems to love it.

I use a striploin steak here rather than the precut stir-fry beef that most grocery stores sell. I do this for a few reasons. Firstly, the prepackaged meat is usually a tougher cut of meat and is not suitable for a quick stir-fry, unless of course, you like a chewy leathery, tough end product, wink. Secondly, it is very important how the meat is sliced and because of that reason, you need to do it yourself.

Have you ever noticed how silky, soft and tender the stir-fried meat tastes in your favourite Chinese restaurant? Well, its all about how the meat is sliced. You need to slice the meat on a flat angle into wide flat pieces. Angle your knife so that as you slice the steak you are slicing on a diagonal so that you get flat wide pieces that are cut slightly across the grain. This will result in a tender bite each time.

The strip steak consists of a muscle that does little work, and it is particularly tender. When you are quickly stir-frying meat, you want something that is particularly tender.

The other ingredient that is essential in making the overall meat very tender is baking soda. It is added here to tenderize the meat, don’t leave it out!

Enjoy my beauties and please let me know what you think of the recipe!

2-Bowl Beef and Broccoli

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Servings 4

Ingredients

1½ pound striploin steak (also called a NY strip), 2 steaks trimmed of fat
3 tbsp vegetable oil divided

Bowl 1

1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp low sodium tamari
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sugar or coconut sugar

Bowl 2

⅓ cup water
1 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp chicken stock (low/no sodium)
½ tsp low sodium tamari
¼ tsp pepper

The Veggies

2 cloves garlic smashed and chopped a little
1 head 1 head broccoli cut into small florets
Pinch of chili flakes optional

Instructions

Slice the beef VERY thinly across the grain at an angle.
Combine the ingredients for Bowl 1 in a medium size bowl. Add the beef slices. Toss. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can marinate for several hours refrigerated.
In the meantime, combine the ingredients for Bowl 2 in a medium bowl or measuring cup, whisk together and leave the whisk in the bowl, set aside.
Heat the wok or heavy based fry pan to HIGH add 2 Tbs. of the vegetable oil.
Stir-fry the marinated beef until lightly brown (1-2 minutes). The meat should be very rare and raw in places. Remove with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl, set aside.
Add the last Tbs. of the oil to the wok and add the garlic and broccoli, stir-fry for 1 minute, add 3 Tbs. of water and toss often for 2 minutes, the water will evaporate but the broccoli will still be crunchy.
Whisk the contents of Bowl 2 and add to the hot wok, let it heat and bubble for a minute or so. Add the beef back to the pan, toss and, allow the mixture to bubble and thicken. Cook for another minute or so.
Empty to a serving dish and sprinkle with chili flakes if desired.