Chinese restaurant style beef and broccoli recipe

Are you craving the irresistible flavours of your favourite restaurant-style dish? Look no further! In today’s post, I’m diving into my easy Chinese restaurant style beef and broccoli recipe.

My beef and broccoli recipe is sure to amaze your taste buds. It is a mouthwatering dish that perfectly balances tender slices of beef and vibrant broccoli florets.

I don’t mean to brag, but it is true. This is the best beef and broccoli stir fry you will try. It has a velvety, umami-packed sauce with notes of garlic and ginger. Yet it is mild and in no way overwhelming. Easy and fast to put together, but it is sure to impress the most discerning palates.

So grab your apron, and let’s start cooking! Yo won’t want to order beef and broccoli takeout again.

Ingredients for this Chinese restaurant-style beef and broccoli recipe

Beef and broccoli stir fry is a humble recipe. You only need a handful of ingredients. And if you like Chinese food, you are more likely to have the following ingredients in your kitchen pantry.

I had a beef sirloin piece cut, and it worked perfectly. You can use any tender beef cut or tenderize whatever piece of meat you have.

Tenderizing meat is as simple as using a meat mallet tool and gently pounding the meat to break down the fibres.

This method is particularly effective for tougher cuts of meat like beef steaks.

Additionally, you will need broccoli florets. I don’t recommend using frozen broccoli for this Chinese restaurant style beef and broccoli recipe. The reason is that your broccoli will be less crispy, and the final dish will be saggy mushy broccoli.

I love to add colour to my dishes. A colourful meal translates into more nutrients and layers of flavours and texture. That’s the purpose of the carrots. They add a sweetness and earthy flavour to this broccoli and beef stir fry.

Cornstarch has several functions in this beef and broccoli recipe. Firstly it helps tenderize the beef by breaking down proteins and softening its fibres.

It also creates a protective coating on the meat’s surface, preventing moisture loss during cooking and resulting in a more tender and juicy texture.

Secondly, Cornstarch is a natural thickener. It interacts with the meat’s juices, creating a glossy and thickened sauce that beautifully coats the beef and the rest of the ingredients.

And lastly, Cornstarch helps bind all the flavours together, enhancing the overall taste and ensuring that the flavours penetrate deeply.

Enough with the starch ;). For seasoning, I used fresh garlic, ginger and soy sauce.

How to make Chinese restaurant-style beef and broccoli.

This recipe is really simple and fast to make. Start by preparing the ingredients.

Cut the meat into small thin slices. You can take a look at the video for guidance on how to cut it. The trick here is to cut the meat as thin as possible so it cooks fast and it is tender.

Once the meat is cut, season with 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine and 1 tablespoon of oil. Give a gentle massage so all the ingredients are combined.

Let the beef marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Cut the broccoli into slices as well as the carrots.

Then peel off the 3 garlic gloves and ginger and grate them. You should get about 1/2 teaspoon of ginger.

Bring a pot with water to a boil and salt the water. Once you have a rolling boil, add the cut broccoli and carrots to blanch them for 1 to 2 minutes. An accentuated green and orange colour is a good sign that your veggies are ready to be strained.

To get crispy broccoli, take them into a cold bath right after you have strained them. This will prevent the broccoli and carrot from further cooking.

For the sauce

In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1/2 cup of water and 1/3 cup of soy sauce. Set aside until it is time to add to the stir fry. I added 1/2 teaspoon of Maggi sauce to enhance the flavour, but you can omit this part if you don’t have it on hand.

Cooking instructions

Set the stove to medium-high. In a cooking pot, pour 3 tablespoons of oil and let it heat.

Add the beef and stir constantly so it fries evenly. Once the meat is brownish and it has stopped drifting juices, you can add the grated garlic and ginger.

After adding the garlic and it starts to get translucid, add the broccoli and carrots.

Let the veggies soak in the garlic and ginger flavour and mix everything well. You can add, at this point, the sauce that you had reserved.

Let the sauce thickens before removing your beef and broccoli stir fry from the heat.

Let it sit for 5 minutes, and enjoy!!

What to serve with beef and broccoli stir fry

I served this recipe with simple steamed white rice. That may sound boring, but there is a reason that broccoli and beef are served with rice- they pair perfectly and complement each other out.

The rice helps to absorb the flavorful sauce and complements the meat and broccoli well.

If rice is not your thing, you can serve the stir fry with noodles such as udon, soba, or rice noodles.

Crispy egg rolls or spring rolls also make a great side dish. They provide a contrasting texture and flavour to the beef and broccoli stir fry. You can find pre-made frozen options you can bake or fry at home.

Tips for making the best beef and broccoli recipe

Selecting the proper cut of beef will make a huge difference to your Chinese restaurant style beef and broccoli recipe results. The best meat cut for stir fry is flank steak, sirloin, or tenderloin. These cuts will result in more tender and flavorful beef. Be sure to slice the meat thinly against the grain to ensure tenderness.

But if you don’t have any of these cuts on hand, tenderize the meat. Use a meat mallet to pound the meat gently but firmly.

Don’t feel tented to add the broccoli without blanching. This step helps to soften the broccoli slightly and preserve its vibrant green colour. After blanching, immediately transfer the broccoli to an ice bath to stop the cooking process and retain its crispness.

Use high heat and Heat your wok or skillet until it’s smoking hot before adding the oil and ingredients. This helps to achieve a nice sear on the beef and maintain the crispness of the broccoli.

Stir-fry the beef for a short time, tossing it constantly to ensure even cooking. Overcooking the meat can make it tough and chewy. Similarly, cook the broccoli until it’s just tender but still retains some crispness.

Add the Sauce to the stir-fry towards the end of the cooking process. This allows the flavours to meld together without becoming too thick or overcooked. The Sauce should coat the ingredients evenly without making them soggy.

To infuse more flavour into this dish, you can garnish it with roasted sesame seeds or drizzle some sesame oil.

Watch How to Make This Beef and Broccoli

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