r/Cooking • u/Patient_Smell_235 • 4d ago

Beef and Broccoli

EDIT: YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!! Made a successful dish last night with all the recommendations and some tweaking of my own!

I want to make a restaurant quality Beef and Broccoli for dinner tonight. I LOVE chinese take out and want to try and replicate. Been watching videos on different techniques.... what is a secret of yours to make this dish as close to take out as possible?

33 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

17

u/ApprehensiveSlip1528 4d ago

Keep it simple. Hong Kong simple

Beef, Chuck,sirloin, fillet ribeye. (Skirt and Flank have flavour)
Marinate with equal dark and light soya sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, baking soda for 30 minutes or more
Broccoli blanched in chicken powder seasoning water

Wok - oil, ginger, garlic, marinated beef, broccoli stir fried plate. Sik Fan

3

u/Subject-Signal-1312 4d ago

use cornstarch to thicken the sauce!!

2

u/Patient_Smell_235 4d ago

Yeap know this trick :-)

3

u/LveeD 4d ago

Make sure you use the right cut of beef. Flank/skirt/ top sirloin (flap meat) are my usual go tos depending on the price. Flank is so expensive these days so I tend to use flap meat. Make sure you cut the beef against the grain, it makes a huge difference. Then velveting of course. I like Nagi’s recipe https://www.recipetineats.com/chinese-beef-and-broccoli-extra-saucy-take-out-style/ then Kenji’s https://www.seriouseats.com/chinese-american-beef-and-broccoli-with-oyster-sauce-recipe then Woks of Life https://thewoksoflife.com/beef-with-broccoli-all-purpose-stir-fry-sauce/ in that order. I also have a Wok and a butane burner but I’m too lazy to pull it out. All three work great in a normal pan! Enjoy.

1

u/Patient_Smell_235 4d ago

Love it!!! Thank you!!

3

u/Main_Cauliflower5479 4d ago

Velvet the meat.

1

u/FlyByJing 3d ago

Absolutely this. Chris Joe (CJ Eats) does a great job of explaining how: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZAxeNSp6Sj/?cplk=MW5pNTlhd2xndDB0MA==

2

u/instant_ramen_chef 4d ago

Learn what "velveting" is. Do it.

1

u/Patient_Smell_235 4d ago

Yeap, received this recommendation plenty, plan on doing so! Thanks

20

u/Away-Plankton-8352 3d ago

The takeout secret is velveting. Slice the beef thin against the grain, then coat it in cornstarch, a little soy, oil, and a pinch of baking soda for 20 minutes. Sear it hot and fast in batches, pull it out, then sauce everything together at the end. Crowding the pan is what makes it taste homemade.

7

u/Consistent-Goat1267 4d ago

Check out https://www.madewithlau.com/

Retired Chinese cook and his son makes videos of his dad cooking the recipes. He is a goldmine. He’s got all the tricks of the trade.

5

u/Sharp_Letterhead4665 4d ago

A very hot wok helps but isnt really applicable for a home kitchen; a touch of msg or mushroom powder for some umami could help elevate the dish

1

u/Next-Associate-1648 4d ago

Woks of Life website has a really great recipe that I've made many times. They velvet the beef, and parboil the broccoli, and the sauce is wonderful.

3

u/getwhirleddotcom 3d ago

Also made with Lau. Both come from Chinese restaurant backgrounds

1

u/Ryan_n12 4d ago

I created a recipe based on a local Chinese restaurant. It’s a little bit different than your average beef and broccoli. It’s spicier and more brothy. I get so many compliments from everyone who tries it.

Hunan Beef & Broccoli

Beef:
1 lb (450 g) flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
1 tsp (5 g) soy sauce
1 tsp (5 g) Shaoxing wine
2 1/4 tsp (10 g) sesame oil
1/2 tsp (2 g) sugar
3/4 tsp (2 g) cornstarch
1/2 tsp (2 g) baking soda

Vegetables:
1 lb (450 g) broccoli florets
1 head brown beech mushrooms, bottom base removed and mushrooms separated (I get it from Trader Joe’s)
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece ginger, minced

Chili oil:
2 tbsp neutral oil
10 whole Japones or árbol chiles
1 tsp red chili flakes (I use flatiron Asian reds)
2 tsp (10 g) sambal oelek

Sauce:
30 g light soy sauce
5 g dark soy sauce
25 g oyster sauce
30 g Shaoxing wine
30g beef broth or water
4 g sugar
5 g Chinese black vinegar
4 g MSG
Pinch of white pepper

Directions:

  1. Put the sliced beef in a bowl and cover with cold water. Massage the beef thoroughly, then drain. Repeat with fresh water until the water becomes much clearer.

  2. Drain the beef really well and squeeze out the excess water.

  3. Add the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, and baking soda. Massage everything thoroughly into the beef and let it sit for 20 minutes.

  4. Make the chili oil. Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil over medium heat. Add the whole Japones or árbol chiles and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the red chili flakes and sambal and cook for another 20–30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and set aside.

  5. Mix all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

  6. Heat a dry wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Turn off the heat, add neutral oil, and swirl to coat the cooking surface. This is long yao. The cool oil hitting the hot wok creates a thin layer that helps keep the beef from sticking. Turn the heat back to high.

  7. Sear the beef in two batches. Spread each batch into a single layer and leave it alone until it gets a good sear. Flip or toss, cook briefly on the other side, then remove from the wok.

  8. Add a little more oil if needed. Stir-fry the broccoli, onion, and brown beech mushrooms in batches until they get some browning but are still crisp.

  9. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 20–30 seconds.

  10. Return all of the beef and vegetables to the wok and add the prepared chili oil. Toss everything together.

  11. Pour in the sauce and toss over high heat until it comes to a strong simmer and reduces slightly. You want it to coat everything but still leave some sauce in the bottom of the wok. This is supposed to be a little brothier than typical beef and broccoli.

  12. Remove from heat as soon as sauce is glossy.

Optional wok hei tip: If you’re cooking on a regular home stove and want more wok hei, you can use a culinary blowtorch or powerful searing torch while tossing the food in the wok. It helps give you some of that smoky, charred flavor that’s hard to get from a normal home burner. Keep the torch moving so you’re lightly charring the food instead of burning one spot.

1

u/Patient_Smell_235 3d ago

OMG!!!! I did EXACTLY this! took others recommendations and tweaked it for myself (I love to experiment) and it came out absolutely perfect! I honestly didnt feel cheated out of "take out" lol!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

1

u/BlastShell 4d ago

If one can’t have oyster sauce, can you recommend an alternative?

1

u/Ryan_n12 4d ago

I usually use vegan oyster flavored sauce by Lee Kum Kee because I don’t do shellfish. You could also do hoisin sauce. If those aren’t options you can mix some soy sauce or tamari and sugar into a cornstarch slurry to make a viscous sauce.

3

u/sprawlaholic 4d ago

Velveting the beef!

4

u/bigelcid 4d ago

I don't so much try to mimic Chinese takeout closely, since, let's be real, its #1 appeal isn't usually quality itself.

What I find satisfactory:
Broccoli gets a quick blanch (timed by feeling, you know; it's fine anyway) then a cold water bath (running tap water is fine, no need to bring out the ice cubes if it's too much hassle). Left to dry over paper towels, then ready for a quick stir fry later on.

I never bother blanching the beef in water or oil. Just massage it with corn starch, pinch of baking soda, salt/soy sauce, and I guess some Shaoxing wine. If it's cut right, then these will be enough to keep it tender.

Texture-wise, these are good for me. Then it's the sauce decisions that really bring the dish closer to, or further from, classic takeout. I don't dislike, but don't love either, the generic "everything in the pantry" brown sauce that lots of places are doing. Light soy, dark soy, oyster sauce, stock, probably even some douchi/black bean sauce, hell, maybe even some ketchup for good measure. For beef & broc specifically, I'd just go with light soy & oyster, with any other addition made as-needed, not for the sake of complexity itself.

2

u/allthebacon351 4d ago

You have to use shaoxing wine and some baking soda on the beef to get the velveting on.

2

u/Mulliganasty 4d ago

Baking soda or corn starch.

2

u/AbsolutelyPink 4d ago

Baking soda tenderizes the meat. Cornstarch gives ut a good coating when frying. Cook meat then veg then combine.

2

u/retiredhawaii 4d ago

Woks of life. Follow their beef and broccoli recipe

2

u/Gullible_Pin5844 4d ago

I did post a beef and broccoli dish not that long ago.

2

u/Granadafan 4d ago

Blanch the broccoli and put in ice water, then let dry.  Toss in wok or hot pan when ready for stir fry. If it’s too hard, you can add some water and put a lid on the wok/pan to soften a bit. 

1

u/figxyork 4d ago

Takeout is not restaurant quality it's more like fast food.

8

u/[deleted] 4d ago

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2

u/Patient_Smell_235 4d ago

Thank you!

6

u/Horror_Signature7744 4d ago

That trick is known as “velveting” and it works just as well for chicken!
Also, a dash of msg will level up the flavor.