When we talk about Chinese restaurants in Spain, two or three classics immediately come to mind: chicken with almonds, rice, three delicacies and spring rolls. These dishes have little authenticity as they are reinterpretations of Chinese recipes adapted to the Western palate. But regardless of their origin, they are very good and we all have a place reserved for them in our gastronomic hearts.
More or less the same thing happens in the rest of the world, and adapted Chinese dishes also exist in the United States. One of their classics is beef with broccoli, fried in a wok at very high heat so that the broccoli retains its crunchiness al dente and the beef doesn’t overcook, coated in a very light umami sauce. It’s a perfect dish to eat with some white rice – cooked without salt, as we discussed in our white rice dishes article – and you can prepare a meal in no time because it’s ready in 20 minutes.
The meat is pre-marinated to make it more tender: baking soda increases the acidity of the meat, which causes the muscle fibers to denature and contract less during cooking. If you use beef tenderloin, you can leave it out as it is already tender on its own, but if you use tenderloin, it is highly recommended. In the photo you can see that I used Bimi, a mixture of broccoli and cabbage that I really like in these recipes because it is very crunchy; But you can also use regular broccoli. The prior blanching that we will do is so that the searing occurs very quickly and does not overcook the beef. It also serves to fix the chlorophyll of the vegetable, giving it a rich green color that is very beautiful.
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: None
Ingredients
For 2 people
for the sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (substitute for regular)
- 2 level tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Besides that
- 350 g beef (fillet or sirloin)
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 pinches of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon rice wine (can be replaced with sherry wine or water)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 small head of broccoli or 10 stalks of Bimi (approx. 300-350 g)
- sunflower oil
instructions
1.
Cut the beef into thin strips of equal thickness and length. Place them in a bowl with salt, baking powder, rice wine, soy sauce and cornstarch. Mix vigorously with your hand and massage the meat for 30 seconds. Let marinate for 10 minutes.
2.
Meanwhile, place all sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir until sugar and cornstarch are dissolved.
3.
Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. In the meantime, cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
4.
When the water is boiling, add the broccoli and blanch for 30 seconds. Keep it in a bowl, pour the water out of the pan and dry it.
5.
Return the hot pan to high heat, add the sunflower oil and the beef, spreading it over the entire surface. Do not touch it for 45 seconds to allow it to brown. Then stir and cook for another 45 seconds.
6.
Add the blanched broccoli and sauté for 30 seconds.
7.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the sauce. Mix and cook until thick and everything is coated. Serve immediately with white rice.
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