49. Chinese Stir-fried broccoli and beef

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Chinese stir fried broccoli and beef

西兰花炒牛肉

If you want to cook a meat dish and you don't have too much time after work, stir-frying probably is the best and quickest way. No need of boiling the meat for hours in a pot, or preparing the "wrappings" for deep frying.

Broccoli and Beef in Chinese cuisine

You may not be unfamiliar with the combination of broccoli and beef . In fact, in many Chinese restaurants in the UK you can easily find broccoli and other mixed vegetables stir fried together with beef.


Stir fried broccoli and beef is a very common dish in Northern China . In the north of China stir fried dishes rarely contain more than two or three different kinds of vegetables at the same time. For example, stir-fry eggs with black fungus and onion , shredded potato with green pepper , and so on.


Beef is a very common ingredient in stir-fried dishes in northern China . Normally, beef can be stir-fried with many different kinds of vegetables, and it can also be stir fried with scrambled eggs. The best beef cut for Chinese stir fry is tenderloin.


In UK supermarkets, it is possible to find "ready-to-stir fry" packs of beef , where the beef is usually cut in strips. However, in the North East of China beef is always cut into very thin slices for stir-frying, and the cut is done following the patterns in the beef itself. The theory is that the beef will then be easy to cook and chew.

Preparation of beef in Northern China

Beef can be prepared in several different ways. First, it can be lightly boiled first after chopping, and then stir-fry. Second, the beef can also be lightly fried with oil first, and then stir-fried with vegetables. Third, beef can also be stir fried directly, then removed from the wok, and stir-fried again with the vegetables together. Finally, the beef can be boiled first together with the seasonings, then chopped into thin slices, and finally stir-fried.


I will be using the second method. I will lightly fry the beef first, then wrap it with dry corn flour, and finally I will stir fry it. When cooked this way, beef becomes very soft and smooth; also, the corn flour will mix with the beef and "disappear", and it will not absorb too much oil.


If you can control the strength of the fire and time in a more or less accurate way, you can alternatively stir-fry the beef directly. But then, you need to be careful because the beef can easily be overcooked and then it will become harder.

Preparation of broccoli in Northern China

Broccoli has been introduced in northern Chinese cuisine relatively recently (around 20 years ago). In Chinese, it is called ‘Xi lan hua’, as ‘Western green flowers’. :) It is usually stir fried with meat or tofu.. Recently, my dad likes to quick steam it with some very light seasoning for a super healthy treat ... Next recipe then.

The recipe: Stir fried beef and broccoli

Ingredients

Broccoli, beef
Garlic, ginger, oil, corn flour, soy sauce, salt, sugar, cooking wine.

Preparation

1) Separate the broccoli into small pieces, and quickly boil them in the water. (keeping it crunchy is very important.)

2) Chop the beef along with its texture pattern into very thin slices.

3) In a mix bowl, mix sliced beef with dry corn flour.

Mixing the beef and the corn flour

4) Chop around 3 gloves garlic and a small piece of ginger.

Cooking

1) Pour oil (at least to cover the bottom of the wok) into heated wok.

2) When the oil is very hot, (should not have any bubble showing in the oil), put prepared beef slice in.

3) As soon as the beef is drier, take it out to a plate, and pour out the oil with remaining 2 tablespoons in the wok.

4) Add chopped garlic and ginger into the wok, along with around 1 tablespoon of cooking wine.

5) When smell of garlic and ginger comes out, put prepared broccoli and beef , stir fry. The fire should be strong.

6) Add in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, mix well with the broccoli and beef in the wok.

7) Allow everything sit in the wok for around 2 minutes, serve in a plate


It is good to eat when the beef is just fresh out of the wok. Goes well with boiled rice and beer.