Team Cook - Broccoli Beef

[yakima]

Shaoxing wine review, comparing cooking with drinking wine (salt vs no salt). Turns out big wine store in IGA grocery had neither. But new little Asian market has both. Drinking is Shao Xing Hua Tiao, $18.00. A friend gave me the cooking wine in an unmarked bottle, so do not know brand.

The cooking wine has a taste of salt, seems deeper, nuttier. Drinking wine is lighter, brighter, longer after-taste, more pleasant in my mind. I will use the drinking wine.

But I am not a wine expert by any means. YMMV. And I won't be regularly sipping this stuff.

Perhaps Meathead has an opinion he is willing to share.

[Meathead]

I tasted a lot of strange wines in Hong Kong, including one that promised virility (no comment), but not Shaoxing wine. I do have Shaoxing wine vinegar in my cupboard and I think it is similar to sherry wine vinegar. I like it.

[yakima]

The Shaoxing rabbit hole branches out. What is the difference between, eg, dry sherry wine and sherry vinegar?

[DavidNorcross]

All in! Teresa loves stir fry!

[cruiseplanner1]

I use something similar to this recipe and love it. Sometimes I do chicken and other veggies along with the broccoli. Reading some of the other comments people you can change the proteins and veggies if desired. Just be sure to blanch some of the green ones before putting in the wok. I usually add mushrooms to that recipe and also garlic chili paste in the oil. Canola oil with a swirl of sesame as pure sesame oil to us is overbearing. Its a good recipe

[negolien]

Inspired by previous cooks and subsequent praise about said cooks, I (your benevolent dictatrix 😜🤓) have chosen Broccoli Beef from The Wok by Kenji. Inspiration also came from some awesome broccoli in my last CSA. I’ve already prepared this so I can work through the recipe. It’s legit and absolutely fantastic! The online recipe (and in turn, paprika recipe) are the same as the actual cookbook.

Beef with Broccoli
★★★★★
Asian, Beef
Difficulty: Medium | Servings: 4

Ingredients:
For the Beef

1 lb beef (flap, flank, skirt, hanger)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp light soy sauce or shoyu
1 tsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp cornstarch

For the Sauce:

1 tbsp light soy or shoyu
1 tbsp dark soy
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp sugar

For the Cornstarch Slurry

2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

For the Broccoli

12 ounces broccoli or broccolini cut into size sized florets, stems cut on bias into 1 1/2 in segments

For the Stir Fry

1/4 cup oil
2 med garlic cloves minced
2 tsp ginger minced

Directions:
1. For the Beef Place the beef in a medium bowl, cover with cold water, and vigorously agitate it. Drain through a fine-mesh strainer set in the sink and press it with your hands to remove excess water. Return the beef to the bowl, add the baking soda, and vigorously massage the baking soda into the meat, lifting the meat, throwing it down, and squeezing it about 30 seconds to a min8ute. Add the salt, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch and roughly work the marinade into the meat for at least 30 seconds. Ste aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes and up to overnight.
2. For the Sauce Combine the soy sauces, oyster sauce, sugar, and wine in a small bowl. Stir with a a fork until the sugar is dissolved and no lumps remain. Combine the cornstarch and water in a separate bowl and stir with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved.
3. For the Broccoli Boil the broccoli for 1 minute and drain, spread to single layer on baking sheet
4. Before you begin, get your bowls ready
a. Marinated beef .
b. Blanched broccoli
c. Garlic and ginger
d. Sauce
e. Cornstarch Slurry
f. Empty bowl for cooked ingredients
g. Serving platter
5. For the Stir Fry Rub a thin film of oil into the wok and set it over high heat until smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat. Add half of the beef and stir-fry until mostly cooked through and lightly browned in spots, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl. Wipe out the wok and repeat with another tablespoon of oil and add the remaining beef. (You may need a quick rinse under the sink if any excess beef marinade threatens to burn on the wok.)
6. Wipe out the wok and return it to high heat until lightly smoking. Add 1 Tbsp of the remaining oil and swirl to coat. Add half of the broccoli and stir fry until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the beef.
7. Wipe out the work and return it to high heat until lightly smoking. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and swirly to coat. Add the remaining half of the broccoli and stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Return all the beef and broccoli to the wok along with the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
8. Stir the sauce and add to the wok, pouring it in around the edges. Stir the cornstarch slurry and add a splash. Cook, tossing, until the sauce thickens and the beef is cooked through, about 30 seconds longer. Adjust the sauce consistency with more cornstarch slurry if it is too thin or a splash of water if it is too thick. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Plated Picture and Recipe Source: Keji Lopez Alt



Reveal: week of the 21st

There have been lots of awesome suggestions and my own ideas…..I will get to them all! If we did one a month, the year is practically booked out!

Very nice recipe similar tone one I use but I cheat and use blue dragon's honey teriyaki sauce. TY for sharing

[yakima]

As I understand it, Chinese Shaoxing wine is comparable to Mirin in Japan. Both are rice wines, sweeter than any rice wine vinegars, which are more acidic. The cooking versions of both typically have salt added in order to get around liquor laws. Hon Mirin is true Mirin, no salt added. Hon Mirin is a type of Mirin, not a brand.

In the US, dry sherry, a form of fortified wine, is often used as a substitute for Shaoxing wine. Various types of Mirin seem to be much more readily available in the US, as compared to Shaoxing.

[yakima]

I went back today to the little Asian market here, got another bottle of Shaoxing drinking wine, and some real Mirin. They aren't doing sales/alcohol taxes right (IMO), but looks like Chinese products will be much more expensive due to tariffs.

It is interesting to read Mirin labels. Much variation.

[cruiseplanner1]

Yakima that is a good idea for us to stock our larders with our Chinese cooking ingredients, or perhaps it is too late already?

[yakima]

I don't think it is too late. Inventory in hand at a retailer was acquired before tariffs. I doubt that retailers will raise prices before they need to.

On a slightly related note, my amateur deep dive re Mirin is interesting. There is a short wikipedia article which seems to do a nice job detailing the differences in various versions.

[Meathead]

I also use Kenji's baking soda trick in a stir fry recipe in my book. I stir fry on my charcoal chimney. I will be demonstrating it on a live broadcast from Milk Street on May 22. More info here: https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...guest-meathead

Milk Street Livestream Cooking Class 5/22/2025
With Meathead from AmazingRibs.com
And two recipes from his new book
“The Meathead Method”

BEEF FRIED RICE

The Meathead Method
I know you love Chinese food, and probably you’ve attempted to stir-fry indoors. And the results were good, but not as good as the neighborhood Chinese restaurant.



The reason is simple: Your stove isn’t hot enough. For great stir-fry you need food cooked very hot and fast so it sears almost instantly. If you don’t have enough heat, the juices run out of the meats, you end up with a puddle of liquid, and the ingredients steam or poach and go limp. It can also smoke up the kitchen, set off smoke alarms, and spatter all over your stove and counters. But you can make your favorite Chinese dishes brilliantly in your backyard on top of a charcoal chimney.


A charcoal chimney can generate enormous concentrated heat. Most charcoal chimneys have holes near the bottom to supply the coals with oxygen. But a wok on top of a chimney can reduce the heat, because the combustion gases have no way to escape, and they can choke out the coals. So here’s the solution: Drill holes near the top lip of your chimney or use tin snips to cut vents like I did here:

The carbon-steel wok is a tremendously versatile pan and its design hasn’t changed in centuries. It can be used for stir-frying, deep-frying, braising, steaming, simmering, boiling, poaching, sauce making, and even smoking. In a pinch you can stir-fry in a large saucier or curved-sided pan or even in a large skillet, but part of the trick to stir-frying is controlling the heat by pulling ingredients up the side of the wok where it is cooler. Do not under any circumstances use a Teflon pan. Teflon and similar coatings can volatilize under high heat and make noxious gases that find their way into your food. And I am not a fan of cast-iron woks because they are too heavy to toss the food with a flick of the wrist. Also, they hold heat all the way up the sides. You can find excellent woks in most Asian stores and they are incredibly cheap there. They are also available online. I recommend the one sold by Milk Street shown here.





Get a 14- to 16-gauge carbon-steel wok with a flat bottom that will be stable sitting on a flat surface. Woks come in a wide range of sizes but one that is 13 to 14 inches across the top is enough for 4 servings. Larger woks are harder to handle. There is a cult around hand-hammered woks, but machine-hammered or spun woks work just fine. Get one with a long handle making it easier to carry. Make sure the handles are well riveted. If you plan to use it indoors, buy a wok ring that holds the wok steady above a stove burner. Get one with a lid and a little grate that goes inside for steaming. Carbon steel can rust, so new woks often come coated with oil to prevent rust. When you get it, you must fill it within an inch or two of the top with water and bring it to a boil for 15 minutes, dump the water, and then scrub with an abrasive cleanser, steel wool, hot water, and elbow grease. Rinse off all the soap, towel-dry, and then warm it on the stove to drive off any water in the metal pores. Then give it a thin coat of vegetable oil. Reviews of excellent woks on Amazon are burdened with 1-star rankings because the buyers didn’t follow directions for breaking them in.

The seasoning process is like seasoning cast-iron pans and steel griddles. It can be smelly, so I do it outdoors on my gas grill. The goal is to fill the microscopic irregularities in the surface with oil and then harden it into a relatively slippery surface with heat. If your wok has wooden handles, remove them. Warm the wok over medium heat to remove any moisture and open the pores of the metal.

Lightly coat the inside with vegetable oil. With a lint-free cloth or Bounty paper towels, wipe off the excess. The oil starts to fill the valleys in the metal. Don’t let any oil pool in the center. In order to form the glassy coat, you need to close the grill’s lid and heat the oil to 400 to 450°F, but you don’t want to overheat it, or it could blister and flake off during cooking. An infrared gun thermometer is helpful. For new pans, two or three treatments is enough.

When you are done, the oil should have formed a smooth, dark nonstick surface. Going forward, every time you wok, the surface will darken. Then, when you are done wokking, clean it with a soft brush or scrubby sponge under warm running water with mild dish soap. But don’t use steel wool or Comet. Then wipe it dry and give it a very thin coating of oil to prevent rusting. Here are some tips on wok technique:

GET A GOOD BOOK. I have lots of Asian cookbooks, but The Wok by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is my favorite. Full of great tips and recipes.

DO ALL YOUR PREP FIRST. Things move very quickly when you are wok cooking, so make sure you have prepared all your ingredients and tools and have them handy, right by your side. Cut pieces so they are similar in size so, if they are to be cooked together, they will cook evenly. Make the sauce, and to thicken it thoroughly mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water to thicken 1/2 cup sauce.

USE DAY-OLD RICE. Freshly made rice is too wet and sticky for most stir-fries. Use day-old rice or leftovers from your last take-out order.




TOOLS. Most chefs recommend a special wok spatula that is like a long-handled spatula with a curved edge so it can scrape along the curved sides. They also recommend a spider, which is like a sieve with a long handle. When I am wokking outdoors, I keep a pitcher of water nearby in case I need to scrub out the wok, a bucket to dump it in, a roll of paper towels, and an infrared gun thermometer. This one has a probe for reading the interior of meats and vegetables, as well as an infrared sensor for reading the surface temperature of pans.



GET THE WOK HOT. Fill the chimney only halfway with briquets. Get the coals as hot as possible, which means wait until they are covered with white ash. Then put the wok on and get it hot. I shoot for a minimum of 500°F.

COOK THE INGREDIENTS IN FLIGHTS. Start with no more than 2 tablespoons oil and get it good and hot. Swirl the wok so the oil climbs the sides. Add the things that take the longest, usually thick things like carrot coins, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. Don’t crowd the wok. Each piece needs a chance to make contact with the metal at all times. If you pile things up, they will steam not fry. Cook in batches if necessary. Stir or flip every 10 seconds or so, keeping the pieces in contact with the hot part of the wok until browned, then move them to a bowl. A well-seasoned wok should come clean with a curved metal spatula. If not, a splash of water and a scrubby sponge will do the job, then let the heat dry the wok. Add more oil, swirl to coat, add the next batch of food, stirring frequently, and move it to a bowl when done. During the last batch I add the aromatics like garlic and ginger because they cook fast.

KEEP THINGS MOVING. Surprising as it seems, keeping the food moving cooks it better and faster than leaving it sit. The motion liberates steam so you sear better. Just be careful not to knock over the tower of power.

FINISHING. When all is done, combine everything in the wok, add quick-cooking ingredients, like peapods and greens like spinach or scallions, last. Then drizzle the sauce down the sides so it heats rapidly rather than pour it on top of the relatively cool food. Stay right there and don’t go to the bathroom. When the sauce thickens, it’s time to eat.

CLEAN. When you are done cooking and you’ve cleaned your wok, you should coat it with a thin layer of oil to prevent rust. But the oil can go rancid. So before you start again, rinse the wok with hot water and a sponge. Then dry it thoroughly and give it another light coat of high-smoke-point oil.

If you need to make a larger portion of this recipe, consider doing it in two batches, as you never want to crowd a wok.

The Recipe
MAKES 4 entree servings, 6 side dish or appetizer servings TAKES About 3 hours to prep (most of it marinating time), 20 minutes to cook
SPECIAL TOOLS Charcoal chimney with holes drilled or cut just below the top to allow air in under the wok, a spatula, many bowls, and a dump bucket for rinse water.

2 cups cooked rice, aged at least 1 day in the fridge
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 pound lean beef
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted (brown) sesame oil
1 teaspoon your favorite hot sauce
1 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion
1/2 red bell pepper
3 ounces mushrooms
1 medium carrot
3 garlic cloves
1-inch finger of fresh ginger
24 sugar snap peas
3 scallions
3 large eggs

ABOUT THE RICE. Plain old white rice is fine but I use basmati from India. It resists clumping and it smells and tastes lovely. To get rice grains that aren’t gummy and clumpy you need to rinse them thoroughly, cook them, and let them air-dry for a day or two in the fridge. Freshly cooked rice is too wet and the results will stick to the wok and be mushy. Often, when I cook a rice dish, I double the amount of rice I need and I put the leftovers in the fridge for a day or two and then use it in a stir-fry. I also make fried rice from the extra rice I get when I order takeout.

ABOUT THE BEEF. This recipe uses lean beef, but you can use pork, chicken, shrimp, city ham, even leftover grilled meats.

ABOUT THE OIL. Peanut oil is the standard, but there are people allergic to peanuts, so I use another high-smoke-point oil such as a blended vegetable oil.

ABOUT THE MUSHROOMS. Try for shiitakes if you can find them, but plain old button mushrooms will work just fine.

ABOUT THE SAUCES. I prefer dark soy sauce for this recipe, but if you only have reduced-sodium, feel free to use it. And if you don’t have oyster sauce, you can substitute more soy, but it is not the same.

ABOUT THE SUGAR SNAP PEAS. You can also use snow peas, fresh peas, even frozen peas. If you are using frozen peas, add them to the wok when you cook the onions, mushrooms, carrots, etc.

1| READ TWICE. Read this procedure twice. Once you get started, things move fast. You need to be ready. When it comes time to cook, it is vital to have everything chopped, sliced, and diced and ready to go. Clean the wok, dry it, and coat the inside with a thin layer of oil.

2| THE RICE. If the rice is still wet, with your hands, break up the clumps into a single layer of discrete grains on a sheet pan. Then pop it in the oven on the lowest temp for about 15 minutes.

3| TENDERIZE THE BEEF. Here’s the trick for tenderizing the beef that I learned from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s book The Wok. In a small bowl, stir the baking soda into 1 cup water and then mix it with the meat. Coat it thoroughly and work the meat roughly with your hands, massaging it in, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes but an hour or two in the fridge is better.

4| WHEN READY TO COOK. Rinse the excess baking soda from the meat with plenty of cool water, squeeze out excess water, and then pat the meat dry because too much baking soda can taste bitter or metallic.

5| MAKE THE MARINADE/SAUCE. In a large bowl, mix 2 tablespoons water, the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, hot sauce, rice vinegar, and vegetable oil. Add the meat and squish it so the meat is covered and so the marinade gets into the pores.

6| OTHER BOWLS. Peel and dice the onion and put it in the bowl. Chop the bell pepper into 1/4-inch chunks and add them to the same bowl. Wash and slice the mushrooms and chop into bite-size chunks. You need 1 cup chopped mushrooms for this recipe. Freeze the rest. Bowl them. Peel and slice the carrot lengthwise into 4 sticks and then cut across them into small dices. You know where they go. Peel and mince or press the garlic cloves and put them in a different small bowl. Mince the ginger until you have 2 teaspoons (you don’t have to peel it) and put it in the bowl with the garlic. Cut the sugar snap peas in half lengthwise and put them in a different bowl. Clean the scallions, peel off any dead skin, chop off the roots, and slice them on the bias. Add them to the bowl with the peas. Break the eggs into yet another bowl and beat them lightly with a fork.

7| FIRE UP. Start a chimney full of charcoal and wait until they are covered in ash.

8| HEAD OUT. Head outside and bring with you all the bowls of ingredients, the wok, the wok spatula, a strainer, a cup of water, the vegetable oil, a roll of paper towels, a dump bucket or bowl for used rinse water, several clean bowls, and a table knife. They need to be all ready to go on a moment’s notice.

9| START FRYING. Put the cold wok on top of the chimney. Leave it there for 30 seconds. Add about 2 tablespoons oil and roll it around, coating the sides all the way up. Toss in the onions, peppers, carrots, and mushrooms, stirring and tossing often. When they are a bit limp and gaining brown on the edges, but still a bit crunchy, add the garlic and ginger and fry them for only 1 minute. Push everything to one side of the wok. Pour in the eggs and keep moving them around until you have scrambled eggs. When they are approaching firmness, chop them into bite-size chunks with your spatula, mix them with the veggies, and then slide everything into a clean bowl.

10| CLEAN THE WOK. If the wok gets caked with food bits and you fear they will burn, pour in a bit of water and clean the bowl with the paper towels. Let it dry thoroughly. You can clean the wok like this whenever you need to.

11| COOK THE MEAT. With a strainer, separate the meat from the sauce, reserving the sauce. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to the wok and fry the meat, keeping it moving, until it is cooked through with a little browning on the surface. It should only take a couple of minutes. Slide it into a big clean bowl (not the same bowl that held the raw meat).

12| FRY THE RICE. Add 3 tablespoons oil to the wok and roll it around. When it is hot, in about 30 seconds, add the rice and stir-fry until warm and some of it is lightly browned and the rice grains start jumping around on the metal. They may stick to the wok. Keep frying and scraping the bottom of the wok and the stuck gunk will eventually let go.

13| SAUCE. Pour the marinade/sauce down the sides of the wok so it heats rapidly. Mix it into the rice until everything is tan. Because the sauce is cooked with such a high heat, I make an exception to the rule that you should not use marinades as sauces for fear of contamination.

14| COMBINE. Dump the veggies, eggs, and meat into the wok and mix everything together. Add the scallions and peas. Mix until everything is warm, about 2 minutes. Get your chopsticks out and pour your wine.

[J-Melt]

Just bought a steel Wok from our favorite Chinese grocery store near/inish China town! We now have all the ingredients for this cook! Just have to decide if I’ll have the energy tomorrow after smoking two briskets and hosting people for lunch, or if we do it Sunday after a long church day and trip for my friend to buy lbyer’s bronco. Decisions, decisions…

[barelfly]

Get that sucker going!!!!!!! Nice!!!!!!

[Huskee]

Had to chuckle.. I happen to be viewing this post on my phone so the pic is very small, that and I guess my eyesight is getting worse, in the picture in the background upon first glance looked like it was a shopping list that said "Yes Get Pringles". Also good words to keep in mind for a rainy day, in my opinion.

[J-Melt]

Huskee HAHA! Love it! Having our house has been such a miracle (should not have been posible because of my odd employment status with the church and coffee place and other factors) that my wife drew that chalk painting there when we moved in.

[yakima]

J-Melt, good for you. Season it and enjoy. Looks like you may have a gas range. On my gas cooktop, I remove the deflector plate over the burner, light with a butane lighter, and put my round bottom wok on the grate, Works great, have never used the ring. (A trick from Kenji.) My wok has a handle like yours. Just bought a wok with 2 ears for handles (Cantonese style, I think) for better balance on the stove. Have not used it yet. The handle style works fine on my outside hi-power burner.

[J-Melt]

Yes! We saw this trick and tried it and it works! Going to be doing that and see how it goes.

[LA Pork Butt]

I am going to skip this one. There are too many speciality items in the recipe that I won’t have a use for in my regular cooking.

[yakima]

Well shucks. At least BD's recipe does not call for fish maw, dried fish bladder!

[RichieB]

See you next month, hopefully.

[J-Melt]

Seasoning pass one is complete! I need to oil and heat twice more I think. After talking to my friends who did this process recently, I decided to do it outside with my camping stove. Definitely a win since my kitchen doesn’t have a hood vent.

This is after the bluing run per Masterclass:

This is after oiling and heating once:

[SheilaAnn]

Wowza!!

[J-Melt]

Used it to do a pan fry of diced potatoes and it worked great! Nice and non stick!

[yakima]

Looking good. Now just use it. A versatile piece.

[J-Melt]

Looking forward to it! Thank you. Glad I got good advice from y’all to just hit up a Chinese store for a carbon steel one a while back!

[Openfire]

I have been making this recipe at least once a week for the last couple of years. I change it up with Chicken and other vegetables occasionally. My wife and I can say that it is absolutely delicious. I get the Shoaxing wine and dark soy sauce off of Amazon. I also add about a tablespoon of the wine just after adding the sauce.

[J-Melt]

Just cooked this! I’ll wait until the 21st as instructed for full reveal. I will say that using cooking Shaohsing wine made it a little more salty than I would prefer. That being said, it’s by far the best beef broccoli I have EVER had!

[SheilaAnn]

Just giving a little bump to the thread….