Quarantinechef: beef and broccoli

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Forget the sad, limp broccoli and overcooked meat of mall food courts and college takeout…this beef and broccoli deserves a spot in your quarantine rotation.

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I’m 111 days into some form of social isolation (with the exception of a week in Iowa, which was just isolation isolation due to sheer distance from any shops, restaurants, or other signs of human life). I’m also utterly sick of making the usual recipes from my Beforetimes life. So I threw money at the problem and bought some cookbooks.

First up is DOUBLE AWESOME CHINESE FOOD by Andrew, Irene, and Margaret Li. They’re siblings who run Mei Mei restaurant in Boston; don’t let the title fool you, this food is the real deal.

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I bought the flank steak from a local butcher at a farmer’s market. I felt as insufferable doing it then as I do writing it on the blog now. But if you can get a high-quality flank steak, do it - this is the perfect simple recipe to show it off.

INGREDIENTS:

the beef:

  • 1lb flank, skirt, or hanger steak

  • 1 tbsp soy sauce (I use tamari for gf)

  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (I didn’t have Shaoxing wine, so I substituted Mirin rice wine)

  • 2 tbsp canola oil

the broccoli:

  • 1.5 lbs broccoli, cut into florets (I also included some of the stems, chopped)

  • 1/4 c olive oil

  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

the sauce:

  • 1.5 tsp canola

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 inch fresh ginger, minced

  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce

  • 2 tbsp honey

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce (I use tamari)

  • 1 tbsp water

  • 1 tsp fish sauce

  • 1 tsp rice vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • First up, get the beef ready:

    • Combine 1tbsp tamari, 1tbsp Shaoxing or Mirin wine, and 1tbsp canola oil in a ziploc bag [the other tbsp is for cooking later]

    • Add the flank steak and seal

    • The recipe recommends marinating for at least 20min and up to overnight; I marinated mine for about six hours in the fridge

  • Second, get the broccoli going:

    • Preheat the oven to 425

    • Cut the broccoli into florets; chop as much of the stems as you want to include

    • Put the broccoli onto a baking sheet, preferably lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 1/4c olive oil; sprinkle with salt; mix it up to coat the broccoli

    • Bake for 15min. Toss the broccoli with tongs to ensure even cooking. Cook for another 5min, then check to see if it’s adequately browned/charred. I ended up cooking mine for approx 25min total

  • Third, make the sauce (not the alcoholic kind of sauce…this goes on the beef and broccoli):

    • Heat 1.5 tsp of canola oil in a saucepan over medium-high until it shimmers

    • Add 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 inch minced ginger. Cook for ~2min until softened (but don’t burn it!)

    • Add 3 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp tamari, 1 tbsp water, and 1 tsp fish sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer ~5min. Don’t burn it!

    • Once the sauce has thickened, add 1 tsp rice vinegar and remove from heat.. Taste - the cookbook recommends adding a bit of water if it’s too salty, but I liked it the way it was.

  • Fourth, where’s the beef?

    • Remove the beef from the marinade

    • Pat the beef dry; salt lightly on each side. Cut if necessary to make it fit into your pan

    • Heat 1 tbsp canola in a large, heavy skillet over high heat until nearly smoking

    • Place the steak into the hot oil (don’t burn yourself!) and cook for approx 3min on each side (to 125 for medium rare)

    • Remove from heat and rest for 5+min

    • Slice across the grain

  • Fifth, combine!

    • Place the broccoli on a plate, top with the beef, and pour the sauce over the top

    • Enjoy!

PRODUCTION NOTES:

  • Unless you want your night to go like a medieval castle siege, wear an apron and use tongs when you put the beef in the hot oil. You don’t want that sh*t to scald you.

  • The ingredients for the sauce are all a bit difficult to measure and the sauce cooks quick - measure the sauces in advance so that you don’t have to think about it while your garlic and ginger are burning.

  • The original recipe calls for garnishing with panko crumbs and lemon zest, but I’m gf so I didn’t try that.

  • I served this over white rice, but you do you.

  • The flank steak I had (did I mention I bought it at a farmer’s market?) was 1.5lbs, so I just added a bit to the marinade; otherwise I didn’t change the recipe at all.