Beef and Broccoli

Weeknights are super busy!  The girls are receiving plenty of homework and projects from school and participating in various extracurricular classes after school.  While I’m at work, even if it’s at six in the morning, I am constantly thinking about food and what to cook for the girls for dinner.  I always think to myself..we’re not going to be home until 6pm today. Should we eat out or should I cook today?  What can I cook?  If I cook, it’s gotta be quick because Emily has gymnastics today and she’s going to be hungry and want to eat right away after class. What do the kids want to eat? What did they eat yesterday? What do I want to eat? What can I cook that is quick, tasty and packed with veggies? After going through the process of elimination and thinking about what to do for dinner, I find that stir fry always meets the criteria.  The longest part of cooking stir fry is the prep work.  The actual cooking part takes about five to ten minutes.

This Beef and Broccoli is a super easy meal to cook. It sure is quick, tasty, and packed with tons of veggies. The veggies are covered in a delicious sauce that has a good salty and sweet balance that the girls enjoy. I never have a problem with the girls not eating their veggies when I cook this.

Ingredients:
1 pound beef flank, sliced against the grain
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon  Chinese Shaoxing rice wine
2 teaspoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces broccoli florets, blanched
1 carrot, thinly diagonally sliced (optional)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 teaspoon  black pepper

Steps:
Marinate Meat –  In a medium bowl, combine beef, soy sauce, rice wine, and corn starch.  Mix well and set aside.  Marinate for 15-30 minutes.

Prepare Sauce – In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well.

Stir Fry – Heat skillet/wok on medium-high heat until smoking hot. Add vegetable oil and give skillet/wok a quick swirl.  Add garlic and ginger and give a quick stir for about five seconds and add in the marinated meat.  Sear meat for about 2 minutes and then stir fry the beef until it is no longer red.  Add broccoli and carrots and stir fry for an additional 3 minutes.  Pour in the sauce and stir fry for about another minute or two until the sauce starts to thicken.  Transfer to a plate and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Tips:

• You can substitute chicken, shrimp, or tofu for beef
• You can add your favorite veggies
• If you want to save some time, buy pre-washed and cut broccoli florets at the grocery store.  Simply poke a hole in the center of the bag and cook it in the microwave for 1.5 minutes and it will be ‘blanched’
• Corn starch is important because it helps lock in juices and flavor of the meat and thickens the sauce like you get from Chinese restaurants.
• If you do not have Shaoxing rice wine, you can use dry white wine or not include at all, but I think it’s important for the authentic taste