This is a basic Chinese dish of beef and broccoli, and while it’s really easy to make, I can’t tell you exactly how to make it. I’ve just been looking for ways to make better use of flank steak, and the thin slices plus a cooking wine-based marinade take out any hint of natural toughness. While I love Wegman’s, their meat counter is the main area where I’d want to make improvements. The prices are quite high for tender cuts, and even at those prices I’ve had a couple of unfortunate purchases. So if I can make good use of a cheaper cut, it’s worth the time and experimentation.
I started with just over a half pound of flank and sliced it thinly across the grain – perhaps somewhere between 1/8 and 1/16 of an inch. I wanted it thin, but not so thin that the meat would fall apart when tossed in the wok. I marinated the sliced pieces in a mixture of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, Chinese cooking wine, five spice, and a little bit of cornstarch as a thickener. This is where it’s up to you to find the best combination. I’ve tried this a few times, all with different proportions and even a few different ingredients (e.g. oyster sauce instead of hoisin); I can’t seem to screw it up, but each batch has had a different flavor. The meat should marinate for a half hour or more.
After the marinating was complete, I blanched a handful of cut broccoli in boiling water for about 10 seconds and removed it to a strainer to drain. I then fired up the wok, got it up to temperature with a tablespoon of sunflower oil, and dumped in the entire meat and marinade mixture. (By this time, the meat had absorbed most of the marinade and there wasn’t much left to splatter as it hit the oil.) Just as the meat was losing the last of its pinkness, I added the broccoli and a handful of raw sprouts, continuing to toss for another minute.
As the meat continues to cook, it starts to release some of the marinade that it has absorbed. What initially may seem a fairly dry dish while it’s in the wok actually ends up having a bit of flavorful sauce that blends nicely with a side of rice. The meat/broccoli proportions gave me enough for one complete dinner plus a lunch, and the meat releases even more of the marinade in the microwave the next day. All in all, this is a pretty basic dish that’s very forgiving in its ingredients.
