Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli

First, sorry I don’t have a better picture – I wasn’t originally planning on blogging this. This stir-fry is actually a meal that the Engineer made (from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, his new project). We both thought that the Little Prince would like the beef, and probably the sauce, and that would be that. But no: he was all about the broccoli, which was a big surprise. He had exactly one bite of each of the main components, and then kept asking, over and over, for “broccoli with sauce”. I had to give him some of my broccoli when he finished his, making sure he saw me dipping it into the sauce each time. He wanted more the next day. And later that week, after dinner, when he normally asks for cake or chocolate or something along those lines, he looked at me hopefully and said, “Broccoli with sauce?” So I figure I owe parents out there this recipe. Us adults very much enjoyed it, and I can’t guarantee that your kids will be as crazy about it as mine was, but it’s worth a shot. Enjoy! (Note that to make this gluten-free, you will need to double-check the label of ingredients like broth, soy sauce and hoisin sauce and make appropriate substitutions when necessary.)

For the sauce
½ low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup Chinese rice cooking wine or dry sherry
3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

For the stir-fry
12 oz. flank steak (trimmed of all visible fat and sliced across the grain)
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. Chinese rice cooking wine or dry sherry
3 scallions, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
4 tsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. broccoli florets
¼ cup water
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into matchsticks

For the sauce
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

For the stir-fry
Combine soy sauce and rice wine in a bowl, stir in the beef, and marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. (You can do this while you chop the vegetables.)

Combine the scallions, garlic, ginger and 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil in a bowl.

Heat 2 teaspoons more vegetable oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the beef, break up any clumps, and cook until lightly browned on all sides but not fully cooked, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and set aside.

Add the remaining teaspoon vegetable oil to the skillet and return to high heat until shimmering. Stir in the broccoli, add the water, cover, and steam until broccoli is bright green and begins to soften, about 2 minutes.

Uncover and allow the water to evaporate, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in the bell peppers and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Clear the center of the skillet, add the garlic mixture, and cook, mashing the mixture into the pan, until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Stir it into the vegetables.

Return the beef, with any accumulated juice, to the skillet. Whisk the reserved sauce to recombine, then add to the skillet. Simmer, tossing constantly, until the beef is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Serve with rice.