Beef and Broccoli Recipe: Easy Takeaway-Style Stir Fry for One

A Sunday at Casa Adora doesn't have to mean a traditional roast. I'm not glued to one, and I can have a roast any day of the week, so this time I made something different: a beef and broccoli recipe for one, ready in about 25 minutes.

The beef is cadera, Spanish rump steak, which I picked up at Mercadona. It is a lean, flavoursome cut, and a quick velveting marinade of cornflour and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda turns it silky and tender. This is an easy beef and broccoli recipe: a marinade, a quick blanch, a very hot frying pan and a glossy oyster sauce. No wok needed.

Beef and Broccoli Recipe Ingredients (Serves 1)

Prep time: 18 minutes, including marinating
Cook time: 7 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Beef and marinade (velveting)

• 150g cadera (rump steak), thinly sliced against the grain into bite-sized strips
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
• 1 tsp cornflour
• ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda (about ⅛ tsp)
• 1 tsp cold water

Stir-fry sauce

• 3 tbsp (45ml) homemade beef stock
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• ¼ tsp dark soy sauce (for a rich mahogany colour)
• 1 tsp cornflour
• ¼ tsp caster sugar
• 1 pinch ground white pepper

Vegetables and aromatics

• 150g broccoli florets, cut into small, even bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
• 1 spring onion, sliced into 2cm pieces

How to Make Beef and Broccoli

1. Marinate the beef. Put the sliced cadera in a small bowl with the 1 tsp light soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, cornflour, sesame oil, bicarbonate of soda and cold water. Mix well with your fingers until the liquid is absorbed, then leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Whisk the sauce. In a small ramekin or mug, stir together the stock, oyster sauce, 1 tsp light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cornflour, caster sugar and white pepper until completely smooth.
3. Blanch the broccoli. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Drop in the broccoli florets and cook for 60 to 90 seconds until bright green and crisp-tender, then drain thoroughly in a colander.
4. Sear the beef. Heat 2 tsp of the sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until smoking. Lay the marinated beef strips flat in a single layer and sear undisturbed for 45 seconds until browned, then toss for 30 seconds until nearly cooked through. Transfer to a clean plate.
5. Fry the aromatics. Turn the heat down slightly to medium-high and add the remaining 1 tsp of sunflower oil. Add the minced garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 15 seconds until fragrant, without browning.
6. Thicken the glaze. Give the sauce a quick stir to lift any settled cornflour, then pour it into the pan. Let it bubble for 30 seconds until thick and glossy.
7. Combine and serve. Tip the seared beef, with any resting juices, and the blanched broccoli back into the pan. Toss over a high heat for 45 seconds until everything is piping hot and coated in sauce. Garnish with the spring onion and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

Kitchen Tips for Beef and Broccoli

• Don't skip the velveting. It is the secret of any good beef and broccoli recipe. The cornflour and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda give the beef its silky, tender texture.
• Slice against the grain. Thin strips cut across the fibres of the rump steak stay tender and cook in seconds.
• Blanch the broccoli separately. It stays bright green and crisp-tender, and the pan stays hot for the beef.
• Sear in a single layer. A very hot pan and undisturbed strips give you browning rather than stewing. If your pan is small, don't overcrowd it.
• Stir the sauce before you pour it. The cornflour settles quickly, and a quick stir stops the glaze going lumpy.
• Rice or noodles. I served this with steamed rice, but it works just as well over cooked noodles if you fancy beef and broccoli noodles. Toss the noodles through the pan with the sauce at the end, or serve the stir fry on top.

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This beef and broccoli recipe is part of the Chinese Recipes, Beef and Veal Recipes and Gut Health Recipes hubs. Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef