RECIPE: 15-minute Thai beef and broccoli
Thai-style beef and broccoli is a simple weeknight dish featuring the title ingredients in a savory sauce. Although a traditional version always cooks quickly, the ingredient list, which includes multiple sauces and aromatics, is far too long for a 5:30 Challenge recipe.
To streamline, I’ve cut the sauce down to its two critical ingredients: oyster sauce and soy sauce. These ingredients are used as the coating for the beef (I prefer flank steak) and as the stir-fry sauce.
Many recipes use a mixture of egg white and cornstarch to coat the beef; this keeps it tender even when cooked until well done. Rather than add these ingredients to the list, keep the beef on the medium side of doneness by cooking it in two stages. First, cook it alone to brown the exterior. Then, after stir-frying the broccoli, return the beef to the skillet with the vegetables to finish cooking.
For aromatics, I stick with thinly sliced garlic, although you could swap this for ginger if you prefer a bit of heat.
All told, this dish takes around 15 minutes to cook. Start a pot of white rice before heating the skillet and it’ll be done by the time you pull the stir-fry off the stove.
- 1 pound flank steak, cut in half lengthwise then into 1/4-inch-thick strips across the grain
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce, divided
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- Vegetable oil
- 1 pound broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- On the side: Steamed white rice
- In a medium bowl, stir together the steak with 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and 1 tablespoon soy sauce until the steak is evenly coated in the sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/4 cup water. Set sauce aside.
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with vegetable oil and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add half the steak and cook, stirring, until no longer pink on the outside, 2 to 3 minutes. (The steak will not be fully cooked at this point.) Transfer to a plate, leaving any remaining oil behind in the skillet. Repeat with the remaining steak.
- Coat the skillet with additional oil if needed and return to medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the sauce and immediately cover the skillet. Cook, covered, until the broccoli is bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the steak and any juices that have accumulated on the plate to the skillet. Continue to stir and cook until the meat has reached your desired doneness, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve with steamed white rice. Serves 4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 347 calories (percent of calories from fat, 57), 28 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 22 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), 74 milligrams cholesterol, 905 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
