Stir Fried Beef & Broccoli

As you may have noticed from this blog, I cook a lot of chicken and pork.  For some reason, I'm just not sure what to do with beef.  In the summer, I can throw a steak on the grill.  But now that the cold has set in, I am not going outside to cook dinner.  Sorry.

When boneless sirloin steak was on sale recently, I decided it was high time I cooked some red meat. I've been hankerin' after Chinese food recently, so a stir fry seemed like a good choice.  I was multi-tasking while I cooked dinner, so the broccoli miiiiight have been a little mushier than planned, but it was pretty tasty.

Stir Fried Beef & Broccoli
Serves: 4

1 pound boneless sirloin steak*, thinly sliced across the grain
4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons pickled ginger, minced (or substitute whatever type of ginger you have at home: 4 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped crystalized ginger or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
3 teaspoons hoisin sauce
3 teaspoons honey
4 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 very large (or 2 small) heads broccoli, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Place steak into a bowl with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.  Let the steak marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, ginger, rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, and honey.

When all of your ingredients are prepared, remove the steak from the marinade.  Toss steak with corn starch.  Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  In two batches, add the steak to the pan and cook until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove to a plate and tent with foil while you cook the broccoli.

Add the broccoli to the skillet along with about 1/2 cup water.  Use a spatula to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.  Allow the broccoli to steam until it's crisp-tender, about 5-7 minutes.  If the pan is getting too dry, add a bit more water.

When broccoli is cooked, add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Then, return the steak and any accumulated juices to the pan.  Add the sauce to the pan and stir to coat everything.  Allow the sauce to come to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 4-5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Serve the stir fry over rice and top with chow mein noodles.

*If a different cut of beef is on sale at your market, feel free to make a substitution.  Just be sure to slice it thinly so it cooks quickly.