Almost everyone has their favorite go-to Chinese cuisine whether its lo mien, fried rice, a soup, or anything else super tasty on the menu.  Mine has always been beef and broccoli with white rice and Cream cheese wontons… YUM!!  I am OBSESSED with tearing my wontons apart and dipping them in the beef and broccoli sauce and then mixing the rice into the dish so its just a big bowl of DELISH!  I have my favorite Chinese restaurant that makes beef and broccoli just the way I like it: little bit of bite, some tang, thick sauce, a bit of garlic, and minimal broccoli.  I have been on the search to find a similar recipe so I can make it at home on demand and not have to drive an hour+ one way ( but I’m always ready to drive the distance for great food!!!).  I finally found this recipe, gave it my personal little touch and… BAM almost a replica of my favorite restaurants beef and broccoli (if not better!).  This recipe looks intense but trust me when I say IT IS SOO EASY!  I’m not typically one for “different” ingredients (my spice rack contains garlic and onion powder, seasoning salt, and pepper) or overwhelming steps, so I was a bit hesitant when I saw how many steps the recipe was and it contained things like hoisin and oyster sauce.  I looked at the recipe everyday for a  week and a half before I made the decision to just give it a try… what’s the worst that could happen??  I am SOO happy I got out of my comfort zone and gave this recipe a shot and I think you will be too!

RECIPE
Beef and 

Broccoli

Serves 4 – 6 servings

Ingredients

• Marinade 

• 2lbs beef tenderloin thinly sliced

• 2Tbsp water

• 1Tbsp soy sauce

• 1 Tbsp Mirin (sweet cooking seasoning)

• 2Tbsp Cornstarch

• Sauce

• ½ Cup low sodium soy sauce (Important its low sodium)

• ⅔ Cup water

• ⅓ Cup Brown sugar

• 2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce

• 1 Tbsp Oyster sauce 

• 1 ½  Tsp Ground white pepper 

• Stir Fry

• ¼ Cup Oil 

• 1 Tsp Sesame Oil 

• 8 Cloves ( 4Tbsp) minced garlic

• 1 Broccoli cut into florets (or 1 frozen bag of broccoli)

• One container of mushrooms sliced 

• 1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water
• 4 Green onions (optional) 

Tips

• The longer the meat is marinating the more tender it will be.
• I prefer to use frozen broccoli, it tastes the same and cooks faster.
• STRONGLY suggest using LOW SODIUM soy sauce in the sauce portion otherwise it is VERY salty.

Preparation

1. Whisk together all marinade ingredients until well combined.  Marinate the beef slices for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. While the beef is marinating, whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside and prepare veggies.
3. Heat up a large frying pan over medium heat with the ¼ cup of oil.  When the oil is hot stir-fry the marinated meat in batches of 4 ( you don’t want to do too many at a time or they will over cook) until they are just crisp and browning ( roughly 2 minutes each batch, they cook fast)  Remove the meat and place to the side, keeping as much oil as possible in the pan.
4. Once meat is done, heat up the sesame oil in the same pan with any remaining oil.  Add the garlic and fry until fragrant.
5. Add the broccoli and mushrooms. stir -fry until vibrant in color and tender. ( sometimes I will cover the pan during this time so the broccoli cooks a little quicker)
6. Add the beef back into the pan and the prepared sauce. 
7. Simmer in the sauce until the beef is cooked through and the broccoli is forkable.
8.  Add the cornstarch/water mix and the green onions. 
9. Cook for roughly 1-2 minutes while sauce thickens, whisking quickly
10. Garnish with any extra green onions and serve rice or other steamed veggies!