Beef and broccoli

• 1.25 lbflank steak · sliced thin against the grain
• 1 tbspcornstarch · for the beef
• 2 tbspavocado oil · divided
• 1 lbbroccoli · cut into florets
• 1/4 cuplow-sodium soy sauce · or tamari
• 1/2 cupbeef or chicken stock
• 1 tbspoyster sauce
• 1 tbsphoney
• 3 clovesgarlic · minced
• 1 tbspfresh ginger · grated
• 1 tspcornstarch · for the sauce, slurried in 1 tbsp water

Methode

1. 1

   Slice the beef thin, against the grain

   Find the direction the muscle fibres run and cut across them, as thin as you can. This shortens the fibres so each bite is tender rather than stringy. Freezing the steak for twenty minutes firms it up and makes thin slicing far easier.

2. 2

   Velvet the beef with a little cornstarch

   Toss the sliced beef in a tablespoon of cornstarch before searing. This Chinese restaurant trick, called velveting, gives the beef a silky surface, helps it brown, and lets the sauce cling. It is the difference between takeaway-tender and grey and dry.

3. 3

   Sear the beef in batches, screaming hot

   A crowded pan drops in temperature and the beef stews. Sear it in two batches in a very hot pan, thirty to sixty seconds a side, just to brown, then pull it. It finishes cooking when it goes back in with the sauce, so do not overcook it now.

4. 4

   Keep the broccoli crisp with a splash of water

   Stir-fry the florets in the hot pan, then add a splash of water and cover for ninety seconds. The steam cooks them through to crisp-tender while the pan stays hot. Broccoli that is soft and grey has been boiled to death, you want it bright green with a bite.

5. 5

   Build the sauce to coat, not to drown

   Soy, stock, oyster sauce, honey, garlic and ginger, thickened with a small cornstarch slurry. Simmer until it is glossy and just coats the beef and broccoli. Too thin and it slides off the rice, too thick and it turns gluey.

6. 6

   Combine at the end and serve straight away

   Return the beef to the pan with the broccoli, pour in the sauce, and toss for thirty seconds until everything is glazed. Serve over rice immediately. The dish is at its best in the first few minutes, before the broccoli softens.