Beef and broccoli is a dish that should be on your regular weekday supper menu

It’s quick to cook, healthier than takeout, and tastes great. I strongly suggest that you try making takeaway at home at least once if you’ve been ordering it. This Chinese beef and broccoli dish is spicy and easy to make. You don’t need a wok to make this dish, yet it will still taste real.

I couldn’t wait to tell you about this dish since…

• You can make everything in one pan. No need to blanch the broccoli again!
• The meal has a lot of sauce and tastes wonderful with rice.
• No need for a wok! You can still obtain that restaurant-style taste with a flat skillet.

Things you need

Which piece of meat to use

Flank steak is my favorite cut of beef and broccoli, and skirt steak is my second favorite. I wouldn’t use a fancy cut like a strip because it’s very pricey and the result isn’t as good.

What if you need to utilize a tougher cut of beef that costs less? Read on to find out how to make beef that is exceptionally tender and juicy.

How to make beef tender with a rough cut

If you have to use a tougher cut, like brisket, chuck, or round roast, the baking soda approach is your best bet. Making beef exceptionally juicy and tender is something that Chinese restaurants do a lot. You just need to add half a teaspoon of baking soda (not baking powder) to the marinade, mix it in, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Other veggie options

It’s fine if you want to add other kinds of vegetables to this recipe.

If you want to, you can replace half of the broccoli with 1 cup of sliced carrots, red peppers, snap peas, or snow peas.

If you want to use carrots, add them at the same time you cook the broccoli so they may steam together.

If you want your vegetables to cook faster, add them halfway through steaming the broccoli and steam them for 20 to 30 seconds. Then, at step 6, put them back in the pan when they are done cooking.

• Beef, marinated
• Broccoli florets, cut-up
• Sauce, mixed
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Water, a little
• Baking soda, half a teaspoon (if using tougher cut of beef)
• Carrots, sliced, 1 cup (optional)
• Red peppers, sliced, 1 cup (optional)
• Snap peas, 1 cup (optional)
• Snow peas, 1 cup (optional)

Mise en place

Before you start cooking, make sure you have the following ingredients on your table:

• Beef that has been marinated
• Cut-up broccoli florets
• Sauce that is mixed
• In a bowl, ginger and garlic

You need to move fast when you start cooking so that the steak doesn’t get too done. So it’s crucial to have everything ready to go.

The argument over the wok and the skillet

I always tell people who cook at home to use a flat skillet instead of a wok. You can get very comparable results, and sometimes even better ones, if you cook on an electric stove using a skillet. If you want to know more, I wrote about ten reasons not to use a wok and “Wok vs. Stir Fry Pan: Which is the Right Tool for You?”

The sauce for Chinese beef and broccoli is incredibly tasty. It makes cooking on a skillet easier to handle. Also, if you cook at home, your stove might not be as strong, thus you might have to cook the dish in more than one batch. Using a skillet on an electric stove can help you because it has a bigger contact area that will help you sear the food properly.

You can use practically any nonstick skillet to create beef and broccoli like you would get at a restaurant, but a deeper pan like this nonstick deep pan is better because it will leak less when you stir the dish. If you want to use a wok on an electric burner, acquire one with a big bottom that can cover the biggest heating element on your stove.

How to make beef and broccoli

It’s quite simple to cook beef and broccoli!

1. Use a little water to steam the broccoli in the skillet.
2. Sear the meat.
3. Add the spices and give it a quick stir.
4. Put the sauce and the broccoli in.
5. Mix everything together until the sauce gets thicker.

That’s all!

Finally, if you want your beef and broccoli spicy, add some chili oil or sriracha to make it even better!

There is a lot of sauce in this beef and broccoli, so you will have enough to cover your rice. Don’t forget to start the rice at the beginning of meal prep. So, for a tasty Chinese meal, the rice and main dish will be ready at the same time.