(Healthier) Homemade Take”in”, Part 2: Beef and Broccoli
This little guy says “YAY! Please put me in a delicious homemade dish!”
Welcome to October, friends! My fav month next to December. My family loves Halloween.
A short aside, my daughter has always had a taste for the macabre, which is part of what makes this month so much fun as a parent. When we took her to Disney World for the first time, at just a month shy of turning 2, she picked out a Jack Skellington blanket (which she STILL brings to bed every night) as her ONE souvenir. She wanted nothing to do with the princesses. The ONLY princess I could get her to take a pic with was Merida, and I basically had to beg her because I had bought her a Merida costume (which she only agreed to if I bought the bow and arrow, too. She was TWO, you guys). When we went back at 3 1/2 for Oogie Boogey’s Halloween Bash, she dressed up… as Maleficent. And this year for Halloween, my little dark princess is going as Wednesday Addams. ZERO doubt that my little one knows who she is, and I love her confidence. But I digress.
Let me get back on topic and let’s dive into part 2 of my Take”in” Series, a takeout favorite — Beef and Broccoli (which I’ll shorthand to B&B from here on out because I’m a lazy typer). First, full disclosure. I have never had takeout B&B. Growing up, I did not like either of those things. My family, however, loves both of these things. So if I’m going to put the labor into a homemade meal, I want something they’re going to enjoy. And luckily, I came around to both broccoli and steak during my pregnancy, so it’s a family favorite now.
Now, as I said, I actually don’t have a takeout counterpart to compare this recipe to. This recipe can out of numerous adaptations of recipes and feedback from folks that have had B&B takeout style. I mean, I think it’s delicious so at this point I don’t see the point of trying the takeout version **shrug**.
Of course, a couple of notes before we begin.
1) Use sesame oil. Please.
2) This homemade version doesn’t reheat terribly well, so I would recommend serving it right away. (The sauce can be made in advance though.)
3) I recommend sous vide for the steak — it will cook 100% evenly to your liking, and will be very tender. If you can’t sous vide, you can sauté. Both instructions are below.
Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients:
Main Dish:
1 head + of broccoli (about 4-cups, per your taste), cut into decent-sized florets and some stem still attached.
1 lb of flank steak*, cut into strips about 1/4”-1/2” thick
3 cups rice, cooked (about 1 cup dry to start)
2 TBSP sesame oil + 2 TBSP butter (for sous vide cook of steak)
4 TBSP sesame oil, divided (for sauté cook of steak)
Sauce:
2 tsp ginger
1 TBSP garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 cup water
2 TBSP corn starch
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 TBSP Sesame oil
Instructions:
1) Prep: Cook rice first according to package directions for 1 cup of rice.
a) If you’re doing sous vide for the steak, S&P it generously and add about 2 TBSP butter to the bag. Sous vide on 135 (mid rare) to 140 (medium) for at least 1 hour, but preferably 2-4 hr. Remember: You can’t overcook when you sous vide. The temp will never rise above the temp you set it on. You can literally set it and forget it.
2) Make sauce. Pour oil in a heated pan to medium heat, then ad ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3) In a separate bowl, mix water and cornstarch until smooth, then add to ginger/garlic mix.
3) Add soy sauce and allow to slightly reduce, cooking about 5 min. Set aside.
4) Next, sauté your broccoli. Add 2 TBSP sesame oil and cook broccoli until stems are tender but broccoli is still green and slightly crisp. Remove from pan.
5) If you are sautéing the steak, add last 2 TBSP of sesame oil and cook steak about 2 min on each side.
a) If you used sous vide for your steak, remove it from the vac seal bag, slice, and move to Step 6.
6) Remove from heat, add broccoli and sauce. Serve over rice immediately.
*sirloin or tri tip work here too, or if you’re in a REAL pinch or have littles that can’t chew steak, ground beef will sub ok
