Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli, Shiitakes & Oyster Sauce

A popular and classic take-out dish, made in about the same time it would take for your order to arrive and probably cheaper and better too. Dirty dishes though; but you can't have everything.

That was the last red pepper from our garden, which had been sitting on the counter for a while and required some trimming. Hopefully you can get greenhouse peppers now. It could be omitted if you can't. As with all stir-fries, the cooking is very quick so everything should be ready and organized before you turn on the burner.

2 servings
30 minutes prep time

Make the Sauce:
1/4 cup beef stock
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Measure the cold stock and mix in the starch and soy sauce. Set aside.

Prepare the Ingredients:
250 grams (1/2 pound) sirloin or similar steak
1 small head of broccoli
1 medium onion
1/4 of a red pepper
75 grams (3 ounces) shiitake mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic
3 to 4 very thin slices of ginger

Cut the steak into 1/4" thick slices; if your beef was from frozen it is easiest to do while it is still semi-frozen.

Put a large pot of water on to boil. 

Wash, trim, and cut the broccoli into florets. Peel the onion and cut it into slivers. Wash the pepper and cut it into thin strips. Remove and discard the stems of the shiitakes, and cut them into strips. Peel and mince the garlic. Mince the ginger very finely.

When the water boils, blanch the broccoli for 1 or 2 minutes, then drain well. 

Make the Stir-Fry:
1 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2 tablespoons good quality oyster sauce

Heat the oil over high heat in a large skillet or wok. When it is hot, add the beef, and stir-fry for a minute or two. When it is sizzling hot, add the onion, pepper, and mushrooms. Continue cooking for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften, and the meat looks mostly cooked. Mix in the garlic and ginger, then after a minute or so, mix in the drained broccoli.

Cook for several minutes more, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is done to your liking. Stir up the sauce and pour it over, stirring as it goes. It will thicken up and coat the vegetables, etc within about a minute, at which point the stir-fry should be transferred to a large serving dish. Drizzle half the oyster sauce over it and mix in gently, then drizzle the remaining oyster sauce over it. Serve with steamed rice.

Posted in: Ontario Food