Hunan Style Beef & Broccoli Cooking with Dad: How to Cook Broccoli Beef on a Wok

Hunan Beef and Broccoli
Ingredients
12 ounces lean flank steak (buy a pound; you will have at least 12 oz left over after you trim the gristle and fry it up for the dog).
1 tablespoon minced ginger 2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice or dry sherry wine (one tablespoon goes in with the meat, and the other in the sauce) 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
Salt to taste (about a half teaspoon for me) Ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons chicken broth or stock 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons dark sweet soy sauce
A medium to large sized head of broccoli, about 5 cups after removing base of stems and cutting into pieces
2 tablespoons of peanut or vegetable oil (I use grapeseed oil, because it helps season cast iron and has a neutral taste).
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed and crushed (not mashed into paste)
A half dozen or so green onions. Cut the stems into 2” pieces, and thinly slice the bottoms
A tablespoon of fried chili peppers in oil. I use Laoganma, which gives a pleasant sense of heat without being overpowering. If you want more heat, use whatever dried or fresh peppers suit your taste, diced up with or without the seeds. Be careful of the seeds; that’s where the heat is.
8 oz mushrooms of your choice. I use baby bellas and pick a box of smaller sized whole mushrooms. I cut the whole mushroom in half, after washing and trimming the stems back to the base.
About a half package of mung bean sprouts. These practically disappear when cooked, so add more than you think you will need.
One cup dry rice
Preparation
Preparation takes place in 5 stages: tenderizing meat, blanching broccoli, frying mushrooms, cooking rice, and stir frying.
The first step, as always when stir frying, is to arrange your mise en place (pronounced meson ploos), which is the arrangement of all the food to be cooked, already sliced as needed, in some place convenient to the wok. This is more important when stir-frying than with most cooking, because stir fry times are short and there isn’t time to do much more than take an occasional sip of wine when stir frying.
To start, slice the meat with the grain into two-inch strips. Then slice against the grain into ¼ - ½” pieces. Put the meat in a bowl, and add ginger, soy sauce, a tablespoon of wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix with fingers until all the meat is thoroughly coated, and then set aside for a half hour or so.
Many fine chefs suggest not washing the mushrooms, because they act like sponges and soak up water. Mushrooms full of water taste bland when cooked. Instead, they suggest brushing off whatever particles are on the mushrooms (use your imagination as to what those particles might be). This never appealed to me, so I rinse them first and then boil out the water. Put a tablespoon of oil into a skillet and pre-heat over a low fire. When pre-heated, add the mushrooms, turning them from time to time, making sure the fire is low enough not to burn the mushrooms. When done properly, this takes about the same amount of time that it takes the meat to tenderize. At the end of this process, the mushrooms will have shrunk as they lose water, and will be very flavorful. They can stay over a very low heat until it is time to add them to the wok.
It would be possible to stir-fry the broccoli without blanching it first, but the result is either burned broccoli or broccoli that is properly stir-fried on the outside and completely raw on the inside, which I suppose some people like. To blanch the broccoli, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and put the broccoli in the boiling water for about a minute. Then drain the broccoli into a strainer and leave it until it is time to put it in the wok. The broccoli will be hot in the strainer, and will continue to partially cook as it stands. Done properly, this results in broccoli that is tender, but still crisp, and properly stir-fried on the outside. Note that it is better to skimp on the time in the boiling water and end up with broccoli that is not perfectly cooked than it is to leave it in the boiling water too long and end up with broccoli that is mushy and overcooked.
The last thing I prepare before I start stir frying is the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, peppers, and a tablespoon of wine.
Mushroom Cooking Video Link: • How to cook mushrooms ...

[@nhbentneedle]

Looks amazing.. not sure if it’s right but I usually take a dry paper towel and wipe the dirt off fresh mushrooms

[@ms.loulou417]

I’ll try this soon ❤️👍

[@anguskisses9790]

Dave, this blog is so endearing! It’s wonderful to see you with your dad, working together to create this fabulous recipe. It’s also fun to see Luna and Loopy enjoying their visit with you. Thank you for sharing your lovely family with us!

[@davelunaskitchen8355]

Thanks so much. It was fun to film this video with may Dad; gave us both something work on together! Thanks as always for your kind comments :)

[@charlaunplugged1507]

Nice to meet your Dad. That meal looked delicious. Beautiful Dog too. 👍👍

[@davelunaskitchen8355]

Thanks Charla!

[@charlaunplugged1507]

@@davelunaskitchen8355 your welcome