here's what happened.
my favorite chinese restaurant is closed!
for over 15 years i have been visiting this same establishment.
no goodbye, no warning, no referrals, no address to the owners home where i could continue to get my favorite dishes.
nothing.
yes, there are a hundred other chinese food places in town.
but none of them are near my home.
and none of these other places have food as good as ms. kim's.
so i'm on the hunt to find recipes and recreate dishes that taste as good and that are as fresh as the ones she made.
it's a slow work in progress
(like most everything else i'm in the middle of these days)
here's the first - and since it's the family favorite it needed to be the first dish i made.
broccoli beef.
YOU WILL NEED:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds sliced beef.
note: to expedite this i usually purchase the package of sliced beef that specifically says 'for stir fry'
it works beautifully
2 or 3 heads broccoli florets (or crowns) cut into bite size pieces.
3 garlic cloves - chopped
1 inch of fresh ginger - chopped fine
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cooking sherry
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup of water
salt (if you're using low sodium soy)
pepper
peanut oil
note re: peanut oil...
when doing stir fry i prefer peanut oil. it has a higher smoke point and gives a lovely nutty flavor. if you do not have peanut oil, vegetable oil is a perfectly acceptable substitute.
TO DO:
in a bowl large enough to hold all the sliced beef - mix together 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the sherry, vinegar, a tablespoon or so of sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and some fresh pepper.
mix well.
add the beef making sure all pieces are well coated.
cover and refrigerate for a half hour or so.
make the sauce while waiting for the water to boil.
sauce is:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
the 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
some sesame seeds
the 1/2 cup of water
whisk thoroughly
bring a large pot of water to boil.
carefully add the broccoli to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes - maybe 3. the broccoli should be bright green and still very crispy.
remove from pot and set side.
heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a wok.
add the chopped garlic and ginger and cook 2 minutes.
should be very fragrant - be careful to not burn the small bits of garlic.
add the beef slices and any juices and cook until all the pieces are browned on all sides.
remove from wok.
the beef may not be completely cooked but it's going back into the wok to finish cooking in a moment so don't worry here.
add another tablespoon of oil and toss in the broccoli.
add half the sauce mixture.
keep stirring until all the pieces are well coated.
add the beef to the broccoli mixture and add the rest of the sauce.
cook another 7 to 10 minutes.
taste for seasoning.
garnish with fresh scallions and another sprinkling of sesame seeds.
serve immediately with hot rice.
another note: the photo above shows green beans. i had them so i threw them in the mix. i wont use these ones again - the very cool but strange looking really long green beans from the market - odd flavor - the family did not approve.
