Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Better than takeout and done in 20 minutes. Tender beef strips, crisp broccoli, and a savory garlic soy sauce over a rice pouch. One pan, one sauce, zero regrets.
Ingredients
Meat & Protein
- 1 lb flank steak sliced thin against the grain
Produce
- 4 cups broccoli florets fresh or frozen thawed
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger grated, or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
Pantry & Canned Goods
- 2 microwaveable rice pouches white or brown, 8.5 oz each
- 0.33 cup soy sauce low sodium
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar packed
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 0.25 cup water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil divided
Seasonings & Spices
- 0.25 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Mix the sauce: whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, and water in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves completely. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until shimmering. Add the beef in a single layer — do not stir for 90 seconds. Let it sear. Flip and cook another 60 seconds. Remove beef to a plate. It will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Add remaining oil to the same pan. Add broccoli and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bright green and just tender. Add garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Return the beef to the pan. Pour the sauce over everything and toss to coat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the beef and broccoli. Remove from heat.
- Microwave rice pouches according to package directions. Serve beef and broccoli over rice, garnished with sesame seeds.
Notes
The single most important step: slice the beef thin and against the grain. Run your finger across the top of the steak — you will see the muscle fibers running in one direction. Cut perpendicular to those fibers in slices no thicker than 1/4 inch. This is what makes the beef tender instead of chewy. Pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes before slicing if it is hard to cut thin.
Do not crowd the pan when you sear the beef. If you add too much at once the temperature drops and you get steamed gray beef instead of seared brown beef. Cook in two batches if needed.
Flank steak is the right cut here but sirloin works too. Avoid stew meat — it needs low and slow heat to get tender, not a quick sear.
Leftovers keep for 3 days in the fridge and reheat well in a skillet with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!