Tender beef and broccoli Asian style dish is the best way to use broccoli. Unlike the bland taste of cooked broccoli, you will get broccoli infused with the classic flavors of Chinese food. And this beef is everything but not chewy. Every time I cook beef dishes I am afraid the meat will turn out chewy. It takes longer to cook beef than other meat so I usually make beef recipes that call for slow cooking. The first time I tested the beef and broccoli recipe I was surprised how beef turned out soft and tender even though it wasn’t cooked longer than 20 minutes.
How to make beef and broccoli stir fry
Cook rice – If you serve beef and broccoli with rice, then you should start cooking rice first. First, add a cup of rice and two cups of water to the pot and start cooking it at medium heat. When the liquid has almost evaporated, remove rice from the stovetop and cover the pot with a kitchen cloth.
Prepare broccoli and onions – Cook broccoli in boiling water for 5 minutes. While broccoli is cooking, chop the onions and sauté them until translucent. Remove the onions from the pan and sauté broccoli with a drizzle of olive oil another 4 minutes at medium heat.
Stir fry beef – Chop the beef in small chunks and season it with the rub mixture. Rub the meat nicely and pan fry in the same pan where you previously sautéed broccoli and onions. Depending on the cut of beef, the cooking time is between 10 and 25 minutes.
Make the sauce – While the beef is frying, make a sauce and add it to the pan. Add sautéed broccoli and onions and cook beef and broccoli for about 5 minutes at medium heat. Serve warm with plain rice.
How to make beef and broccoli tender
Even though it is very easy to make beef and broccoli, this simple recipe can turn out bad if your beef is chewy. To make beef tender, you have two options:
- use cuts of beef that are tender and don’t require longer cooking (loin cuts, flank, rib). With these meat cuts, you won’t need more than 15 minutes to cook beef.
- If you use a cheaper cut of beef like round steak, chop the meat into very small chunks and get rid of tendons. You will need to cook beef for about 25 minutes and remove parts that seem chewy.
What cut for beef and broccoli?
Tenderloin, sirloin and short loin are the best cuts of beef for this type of dish because they are tender and don’t require longer cooking.
Short plate, flank and rib are also good cuts for this beef and broccoli recipe.
Round steak can be chewy if not cooked longer, but you can still use it to make beef and broccoli. To make this cut of beef tender, make sure you remove the tendons and cut the beef into very small chunks.
As this is a quick recipe for weeknight dinner or lunch, you can prepare beef and broccoli with leftover steak as well.
Is this beef and broccoli recipe keto friendly?
This beef and broccoli recipe features sauce that is not keto friendly. Starch and brown sugar are not keto but you can substitute brown sugar with stevia and starch with xanthan gum.
Does beef and broccoli have gluten?
Beef and broccoli dish can be gluten free if you follow these guidelines:
- Use tamari soy sauce that is gluten free as regular soy sauce contains gluten from the wheat.
- Starch is not gluten free so you need to use the same starch substitute as for the keto version.
Tender beef and broccoli with rice
Ingredients
- 400 g ground beef
- 2 1/2 cups cooked broccoli
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 cup rice
Beef rub spice mixture
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp smoked papriika
For the Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tbsp starch
- 7 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 120 ml water
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- First, add a cup of rice and two cups of water to the pot and start cooking it at medium heat. When the liquid has almost evaporated, remove rice from the stovetop and cover the pot with a kitchen cloth.
- Cook broccoli in boiling water for 5 minutes. While broccoli is cooking, chop the onions and sauté them until translucent. Remove the onions from the pan and sauté broccoli with a drizzle of olive oil another 4 minutes at medium heat.
- Chop the beef in small chunks and season it with the rub mixture. Rub the meat nicely and pan fry in the same pan where you previously sautéed broccoli and onions. Depending on the cut of beef, the cooking time is between 10 and 25 minutes.
- While the beef is frying, make a sauce and add it to the pan. Add sautéed broccoli and onions and cook beef and broccoli for about 5 minutes at medium heat. Serve warm with plain rice.
