Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Tender beef and fresh broccoli in a sweet/savory teriyaki-style sauce. Serve over rice, noodles, or in lettuce leaves for the ultimate take-out copycat! P.S. This is way better than take-out…
I’m confident when I say this is better than take-out! The steak is perfectly tender, the broccoli is vibrant and fresh, and the sauce is thick, sticky, and brimming with flavor. And when you make the dish from scratch, you can customize the ingredients and heat level.
What kind of beef should you use for this beef and broccoli? The classic choice is flank steak or skirt steak. Both options have a nice amount of marbling and the meat cooks up tender in a very short amount of time. Just be sure to cut the steak into thin strips. Pro tip: Pop the steak in the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing – it makes slicing much easier!
Feel free to customize the heat level in the sauce. This version of beef and broccoli is fairly mild because I added just 1 teaspoon of hot sauce, but you can easily add more heat for a spicier dish. To add heat, increase the hot sauce to 2+ teaspoons, or add crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce before adding it to the pan. And you can always serve hot sauce at the table.
Consider different vegetables! The traditional choice for this dish is broccoli, but onions and bell peppers make great options too. And if you need to spread the meal out to serve a crowd, adding veggies is an excellent way to do that.
How should you serve your beef and broccoli? Serve the beef, veggies and sauce over rice, Asian noodles, or in lettuce leaves.
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce, or tamari sauce, or liquid aminos
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or more/less to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 to 6 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 pound flank steak, or skirt steak, sliced across the grain into very thin strips
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, you can purchase them pre-toasted, or toast them in a dry skillet over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and hot sauce. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender-crisp, stirring frequently. For softer broccoli, add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan, cover and cook for 2 additional minutes to steam the broccoli. Transfer the broccoli to a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the steak slices in a single layer (work in batches to prevent crowding the pan) and cook until seared on both sides (about 1 to 2 minutes per side). Return all the slices to the pan.
- Stir the sauce again to make sure the cornstarch is dissolved and add the mixture to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for two to 3 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Add broccoli and stir to combine. If desired, thin the sauce with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Top with sesame seeds and serve.