Description
This Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry is one of my all-time favorite meals. Its quickness, ease, & restaurant-worthy flavor kept it on my Mom’s regular dinner rotation throughout my childhood. Mom is pretty famous here on PWWB for her quick & easy stir fries, so I’m really excited to share this family fave with you today!
Like any stir fry, there’s a decent amount of prep involved in getting the components ready to cook, but it’s all pretty quick & easy work – “velvet” thin sliced beef sirloin by marinating it with cornstarch to ensure it stays nice & tender, prep the stir fry veggies, & whisk together a quick homemade stir fry sauce. From there, the high heat of a skillet or wok takes over & dinner comes together in about 10 minutes!
We always serve this beef broccoli stir fry over white rice with lots of scallions & toasted sesame seeds, but stir fry is a naturally flexible dish, so feel free to adjust & make it your own. ♡ Happy cooking!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ¼ pounds top sirloin, trimmed of excess fat & thinly sliced against the grain (see Recipe Notes)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 small heads broccoli, cut into small bite-sized florets (approx. 12 oz or 6 cups florets)
- 2 medium carrots, peeled & sliced into 1 ½-inch matchsticks (approx. 4 ounces or 1 heaping cup matchsticks)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil or high smoke point vegetable oil of choice, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- beef broccoli stir fry sauce (below)
- for serving, as desired: cooked white rice or grain of choice, thinly sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, etc.
for the stir fry sauce:
- ¾ cup beef stock/broth
- 1 ½ tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Marinate the beef: Add the thinly sliced top sirloin to a medium bowl with the soy sauce, cornstarch, rice wine, granulated sugar, & white pepper. Stir to combine, coating the beef thoroughly & evenly. Set aside to rest at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. This is a great time to prepare the stir fry vegetables, chopping & slicing broccoli & carrots as indicated in the Ingredients List (above), & whisk up the stir fry sauce (Step 2, below).
- Prepare the beef and broccoli stir fry sauce: Meanwhile, as the beef marinates, prepare the stir fry sauce. Add all listed ingredients – beef stock/broth, oyster sauce, cornstarch, soy sauce, & granulated sugar – to a small bowl. Whisk to combine well, taking care to break up any lumps & bumps of cornstarch. Set aside for stir frying, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Stir fry the broccoli & carrots: Add 1 teaspoon of the oil to a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot & shimmering, add the carrots & broccoli. Lightly season with a small pinch of salt & cook, stirring often, until vibrantly colored & softened slightly, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a large plate or bowl & set aside. (Alternately, you can also prep the broccoli & carrots in the microwave. Place the broccoli florets & carrot matchsticks in a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle a little water over top, then loosely cover the bowl in plastic wrap & microwave for 1 ½ – 2 minutes, until the veggies are vibrant & tender.)
- Sear the beef: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok or skillet. Add the garlic & give it a quick stir. Once the garlic is fragrant, reduce the heat to medium & carefully add the marinated beef from Step 1. Shake the pan to separate the slices of beef for even browning. Cook, tossing & stirring occasionally, just until browned, about 3-4 minutes.
- Finish the beef broccoli stir fry: Once browned, push the beef to the outside edges of the wok or skillet. Give the prepared stir fry sauce from Step 2 a good stir, then pour it into the center of the skillet, scraping the bottom of the skillet to release any browned bits from the bottom. Cook 1-2 minutes, until thickened slightly, then add the softened broccoli & carrots. Cook 1 minute longer, tossing & stirring frequently to bring the beef and broccoli stir fry together. Remove from the heat.
- Serve immediately, spooning the beef broccoli stir fry over rice or grain of choice. Finish with thinly sliced green onions & toasted sesame seeds as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredient Notes:
- Beef: Feel free to use your tender steak of choice for this beef and broccoli stir fry. Top sirloin offers a great balance of tenderness, flavor, & affordability – that’s what I like to use. Cold beef is easiest to thinly slice for stir fry, so it’s helpful to pop the steak into the freezer to chill for 5-10 minutes prior to slicing.
- Shaoxing wine is Chinese rice wine with a rich & uniquely savory-sweet flavor. It’s readily available at Asian grocery stores or online & it’s absolutely worth the purchase if you love cooking Chinese dishes at home. Imperfect-yet-quick substitutes for the shaoxing wine in this recipe include mirin, dry sherry, or dry vermouth.
- Storage: While this beef broccoli stir fry is best enjoyed fresh, immediately after cooking, leftovers will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, just until warmed through.
- 15-Minute Meal Prep: As is the case with any stir fry, there’s a bit of measuring & chopping required for this beef and broccoli stir fry, which is where all of this recipe’s active prep time comes from – the cooking process itself is very quick! If you’d like, you can do a little prep ahead of time to cut down on active work required at dinnertime. Pick & choose from the list below, or do it all & all you have to do at dinnertime is get cooking – easy!
- Chop the veggies: Prepare all of the beef and carrots, chopping & slicing as indicated in the Ingredients List, above. Store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (10 minutes active time)
- Prep the stir fry sauce: Mix the stir fry sauce according to Step 2 of Recipe Directions, above. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (5 minutes active time)