Beef and Broccoli

Beef and broccoli is a stir-fry where tender sliced beef and crisp-edged broccoli florets come together in a savory-sweet sauce. The key is cooking the beef and broccoli separately so each gets the right texture, then finishing them together in the sauce.

Ingredients for Beef and Broccoli

Flank steak cooks fast and stays tender when sliced thin against the grain. Broccoli florets get crisp edges and stay bright when cooked in a hot pan before the sauce goes in. Garlic and fresh ginger build the savory base of the sauce. Soy sauce adds salt and depth, brown sugar brings balance and a slight caramel note, and rice vinegar adds brightness. Cornstarch thickens the sauce to coat the beef and broccoli evenly. Sesame oil finishes the dish with a toasted aroma. Vegetable oil is for the high-heat cooking.

Why This Beef and Broccoli Works

Slicing the beef thin and against the grain means the muscle fibers are cut short, so each bite is tender even though you cook it fast over high heat. The broccoli gets cooked first in a hot, dry pan to brown its edges and drive off moisture, then it rests while you cook the beef. This keeps the broccoli from steaming and turning soft.

The sauce is a balance of salty, sweet, and tangy, and cornstarch turns it into a glaze that clings to the beef and broccoli instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan. A splash of sesame oil at the end adds the toasted flavor that makes this dish taste like takeout.

Mistakes To Avoid

Slicing the beef with the grain instead of against it makes each piece tough and chewy because the long fibers stay intact. You can tell by trying to tear a piece with your fingers; if it shreds easily, you sliced it right. If it is hard to tear, you went the wrong way.

Cooking the broccoli and beef together in the same pan makes the broccoli steam instead of brown, so it ends up soft and pale instead of crisp and charred. The broccoli needs dry heat and space in the pan to brown properly.

Adding the cornstarch slurry to the sauce too early, before the beef and broccoli are ready to go in, lets it sit and thicken into a lump before you can use it. Always mix it with water at the last moment, right before you pour it in.

Letting the pan cool down between cooking the broccoli and the beef means the beef steams instead of browning, and you end up with gray, rubbery meat instead of brown, tender pieces. Keep the heat high the whole time.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
• 1 pound broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Slice the flank steak against the grain into thin strips about 1/4 inch thick.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until it shimmers.
3. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the edges are brown and the broccoli is tender-crisp. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the same hot pan over high heat for 1 minute.
5. Add half the beef strips and cook for 2 to 3 minutes without stirring until brown on one side, then stir and cook 1 to 2 minutes more until no longer pink inside. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining oil and beef.
6. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for 30 seconds over medium heat until fragrant.
7. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar and bring to a simmer for 1 minute.
8. Mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water in a small bowl until smooth, then pour it into the simmering sauce and stir constantly for 1 minute until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
9. Return the beef and broccoli to the pan and toss to coat in the sauce, cooking for 1 minute until everything is heated through.
10. Drizzle with sesame oil, toss once, and serve immediately.