Chinese Broccoli-Beef With Black Bean Sauce
This flavorful oriental-inspired dish is quick and easy to make but tastes delicious. You can substitute the beef for chicken, pork or tofu – and you can add more garlic if you like (we always do!) You can serve the broccoli beef with rice or noodles – and don’t forget the fortune cookies!
Ingredients:
1 lb beef steak
1 head of broccoli
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 cloves of garlic – chop them with your Garlic Chop!
1 inch piece fresh ginger root, finely chopped
2 tablespoons black bean sauce
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots (sliced, optional)
1/2 cup canned water chestnuts (sliced, optional)
Method:
Cut the beef into two inch strips, making sure to trim any fat first. Then slice each of the strips lengthwise. Cut the broccoli florets from the stems – you can use the stems, sliced into one inch pieces in this dish too but make sure to peel them first because they can be tough! Place the broccoli in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes to soften it a little. Drain, and then rinse with cold water to stop it cooking further.
Heat two tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a wok or heavy-bottomed frying pan until it is very hot – then add the beef and stir fry for about 2 minutes until it is browned all over – then remove it from the pan.
Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil and stir fry the garlic, ginger and black bean sauce for 30 seconds. Then add the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts if you are using them, and stir fry for 1 minute.
Stir in the beef and broccoli and add the corn starch, sesame oil and chicken stock. Cook, stirring until the sauce thickens – this should not take long.
And that’s it! Serve with rice or noodles and some green tea on the side, and enjoy.
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