Crispy stir fried beef and broccoli in a tangy and spicy sauce made with soy sauce, sugar and lime juice.
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Do you like sticky, crispy Chinese beef but worry about how brown and lacking-in-veg it can often look?
I’m solving all of those problems with broccoli 😁
Ok, it doesn’t make this dish healthy, but a bit of green can only be good right?
Looking at the recipe, it sounds like a lot of sugar and soy sauce (and it is), but the combination with the lime juice just works to give that beautiful sweet/sour/salty taste.
I’ve even served up strips of this on sticks to serve as canapés over Christmas, and they were the first to go!
Add in even more veggies if you like – peppers, sugarsnap peas, even courgette (zucchini) are great additions.
👩🍳PRO TIP You can also make it gluten free by replacing the soy sauce with tamari (I’ve done this several times and it works great!)
I originally made this recipe after seeing it on bbcgoodfood.com (I’ve made a few modifications) – although this particular recipe isn’t on there any more. It’s one of those recipes I printed out about 10 years ago and kept in my little book of recipes way before I started the blog. So glad I did!!
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Sweet and Tangy Crispy Beef with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 360 g (3/4 lb) thin cut sirloin steaks (approx 3 steaks) cut into thin strips*
- 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch the flour kind, not the grainy kind
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and minced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 large head of broccoli cut into small florets
- 3 tbsp lime juice (from about about 2 large or 3 small fresh limes)
- 6 tbsp dark soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
- 7 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 red chilli chopped – discard the seeds if you don’t like it too hot
- 4 spring onions (scallions) chopped
To Serve:
- boiled rice
- spring onions (scallions) and/or chopped red chillies to garnish
- 1 tsp chilli pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Mix the cornflour with the salt and pepper and toss the beef strips in the cornflour until completely coated.3 tbsp vegetable oil, 360 g (3/4 lb) thin cut sirloin steaks, 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch, 1 pinch salt and pepper
- When the oil is hot, tip the beef in and fry until dark brown and crispy. I try not to move the meat around too much as this seems to reduce the amount of crispiness you get. It generally takes about 5 or 6 minutes to crisp up the beef, with about 3 or 4 stirs during that time.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the pan and place in a bowl lined with kitchen roll to soak up excess fat.
- There should still be some oil left in the pan at this point. Take the pan off the heat and throw in the ginger and garlic (the garlic will burn if you have it on the heat), give it a stir for 30 seconds and then add the broccoli to the pan. Put it back on a medium heat and stir-fry the broccoli for a minute or two.1 thumb sized piece of ginger, 3 garlic cloves, 1 large head of broccoli
- Mix the lime juice, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl, then pour onto the broccoli in the pan.3 tbsp lime juice, 6 tbsp dark soy sauce, 7 tbsp caster sugar
- Turn up the heat and let it bubble for a couple of minutes until the sauce starts to reduce a little.
- Add the beef back in, give it a stir and heat through for 1 minute, then add in the chopped chillies and spring onions. Give it a quick stir and then serve it with boiled rice.1 red chilli, 4 spring onions (scallions)
- Garnish with some spring onions and/or chopped chillies and a few chilli pepper flakes.boiled rice, spring onions (scallions) and/or chopped red chillies to garnish, 1 tsp chilli pepper flakes
Notes
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes! Replace the soy sauce with tamari. I’ve done this lots of times and it works really well. You must ensure you use the correct amount of lime juice and sugar though, otherwise the tamari can overpower the flavours.Can I freeze it or make it ahead?
This recipe works best when made and served right away. Freezing/chilling then reheating means the beef won’t be crispy.However, it does still taste really good. So if you did want to freeze it, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat thoroughly in the wok or a microwave until piping hot throughout. You can add a splash of water if it’s a little dry. Note: The nutritional information provided here doesn’t include rice or garnishes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have made it twice so far. I add diced yellow onion and red bell paper and use crushed chili flakes instead of fresh. I also double the amount of lime to make it more tangy. And In double amount of beef. You can use frozen broccoli, just rinse under cold water and let it air dry while prepping the other ingredients. The sauce is strong so I feel its best service with rice
We use a lot of your recipes – this is one of my go to dishes – tasty without too much faffing and loved by the whole family
My teenager son and I loved this dish. Taste fresh and healthy be better than eating out at Chinese Restaurant 😋 👌
Oh my goodness Amazing was gonna do the Chilli crispy beef but the steak was smaller than I realised had some broccoli to bulk it up so switched to this. A massive success Ta. Paul from the Lizard