Beef and Broccoli with the Best Sauce - Top Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is beef and broccoli sauce made of? ›

Beef and Broccoli Ingredients

Sauces and oils: This beef and broccoli recipe calls for oyster sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Sherry: Cooking sherry adds a sweet, nutty flavor to the beef and broccoli. Sugar: White sugar lends a hint of sweetness. Cornstarch: A teaspoon of cornstarch thickens the sauce.

To thicken beef and broccoli, you can mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with a small amount of water to create a slurry. Add the slurry to the simmering sauce and stir until it thickens. Adjust the consistency as needed. Mix together a teaspoon of corn starch with enough water to dissolve it so it looks milky.

Flour can be substituted for corn starch to thicken the brown sauce for this beef and broccoli recipe. More flour is needed to have the same thickening affect as the corn starch. If you are swapping out the cornstarch for flour, add a tablespoon at at time to the sauce and thoroughly whisk it in.

Broth: Many versions of this dish use beef broth, but you can also find it made with chicken or vegetable broth. Soy Sauce: Soy sauce is one of the main ingredients that you'll find in nearly every version of Chinese brown sauce.

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

Vegetable Broth

Add some bay leaves for a different flavor. Vegetable broth is made of vegetables and water. To use it as a beef broth substitute, use the 1:1 ratio. An article from Organic facts suggests vegetable broth is the best all-around substitute for beef broth.

Cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. When a gravy, sauce, soup or stew recipe calls for flour, use half as much cornstarch to thicken. To thicken hot liquids, first mix cornstarch with a little cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into hot liquid until blended.

Velveting is a cooking method where usually tough cuts of meat are marinated in a cornstarch or baking soda mixture or slurry. This tenderizes the meat without altering its taste while also helping the meat to retain moisture so it doesn't dry out while cooking, especially in something like a stir-fry.

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

Why is my stir-fry beef always tough? ›

Cut Thin Slices

Thicker strips require longer cooking times, which usually means the outside is overcooked by the time the inside is cooked. It's easier to accidentally overcook a thicker strip of beef than a thinner one. An overcooked thick strip will also be tougher than an overcooked thin strip.

Why It Works. Salt and soy sauce tenderize meat, help it retain moisture, and increase its savoriness. Sugar helps browning characteristics. Oil helps distribute fat-soluble aromatic compounds over the meat.

The cornstarch in the Beef and Broccoli Sauce will thicken as it simmers with the broccoli. If you still would like a thicker sauce, then just keep simmering until it reaches desired consistency. Your sauce will become thicker the longer it is simmers.

In stir-fries, cornstarch helps thinly sliced protein like beef or pork brown evenly without overcooking, while simultaneously turning the liquidy soy, rice wine vinegar, and mirin into a veg-coating sauce.

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

Instructions. Pour sesame oil into a pan over medium heat, then add beef fillet and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add crushed garlic, ginger, beef seasoning, stir and let simmer for a minute. Add carrots, green bell pepper, stir, then add onion, red chilli, soy sauce and stir.

In a deep 12-inch skillet (you can also use a saucepan or pot), whisk together the broth, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, and cook until the sauce has thickened, 3-4 minutes.

Pan sauces and gravies are delicious concoctions that use the pan drippings from roasted meats to make a silky sauce that can accompany the meat. It's usually, and delectably, poured on top of side dishes like mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.