Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

You know when you see those “15-minute recipes” and you’re like YES I am SO hungry but I can wait 15 minutes and then it takes an HOUR to actually make the meal, by which point you’re not even hungry anymore because you snacked on stale tortilla chips you scrounged from the cupboard because you were STARVING and WHY DO THEY ALWAYS LIE WHEN THEY SAY 15 MINUTES?!

Am I being melodramatic? Fine. A little. But seriously. How annoying is that? Well, I think you understand how annoying I find it. So I promise when I say this recipe really is only 15 minutes (minus the marinade time), you can trust me. Marinate the meat the night before, and I swear on all that is holy, when you get back from work the next day, you can get dinner on the table in 15 minutes. Or 10. Seriously. 10. I wouldn’t even lie to you. Also, it’s delicious. Beat that.

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. sugaar
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. flank steak, sliced into thin strips (or the pre-sliced “stir fry beef” from the grocery store)

For the rest of it (see note below regarding sauce):

• 3/4 c. low-sodium soy — MUST be low-sodium or it will be way too salty
• 3 tbs. brown sugar
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 4 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 heads broccoli, crowns only

Instructions:

To marinate the meat, whisk together all marinade ingredients, then toss the steak in with it to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour, or overnight.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and flour until smooth. Set aside.

In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tbsp. veggie oil over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium high. Carefully add remaining tbsp. of oil, then add marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture. Saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until meat is cooked through. Stir in broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more, then serve hot over rice.

*I didn’t think the original recipe made enough sauce to cover the entire pan of meat and broccoli, so I added another half-batch of the sauce. Those changes are reflected above. If you’re not as saucy as I am (hehehe), then feel free to start with the original amount called for (for example, you would only use 1/2 cup soy sauce instead of 3/4 cup) and stir in more as needed.

Recipe adapted from: Rainy Day Gal

Yields: 4 servings