Panda Express beef and broccoli recipe
Skip the takeout and make Panda Express Beef and Broccoli at home! Tender beef, crisp broccoli with extra sauce. Ready in under 30 minutes.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 1 lb. skirt steak or sirloin tip, flank, sirloin steak
- ½ tbsp soy sauce or 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- ½ tbsp fish sauce optional but adds extra umami
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- ¼-½ tsp baking soda
- 2-2.5 tbsp tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1.5 tbsp water
Aromatics and veggies:
- 1 oz garlic clove finely minced, 5 large
- 0.4 oz ginger finely minced
- 12 oz broccoli florets
- 1.5 tbsp avocado oil for stir frying
Sauce:
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or gluten-free sake, optional
- 2 tsp starch
Instructions
- Thinly slice beef: Hold your knife at a 45-degree angle will make the slice wilder and more flat. Slice the beef against the grain into thin pieces at about ⅛” thin.
- Tenderize and marinate beef: In a bowl, add the beef and season with ingredients from soy sauce to sesame oil. Add in the water little-by-little while messaging the beef until the water is absorbed. Cover the bowl and marinate the meat for 15 to 30 minutes in the fridge or up to 1 day in advance. Your beef is ready for stir frying!
- Broccoli prep: Trim broccoli into similar size florets. For larger ones, slice in half. Add to a microwave safe bowl with 2 tbsp water, Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, and microwave further for 30 seconds to 1 minute. The broccoli should be crisp and not completely cooked and the color is bright green. Set aside to drain well.
- Aromatics and sauce: Mince the garlic and ginger, and set aside the sauce.
- Sear beef: Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat until it feels quite hot, add 1 tbsp oil. Add the beef and quickly spread it out into a single layer. You should hear a sizzling sound. If not, turn the heat up higher. Pay sear for 2 minutes without disturbing or until you see the bottom turns crisp brown. Flip and sear the other side for 1 minute. Transfer out along with the pan juice to set aside.
- Saute aromatics: While the pan is still hot, add the remaining 0.5 tbsp oil. Saute garlic and ginger with a small pinch of salt over medium heat for 15 seconds.
- Sauce, Broccoli, Beef: Pour-in the sauce. Stir to combine with the aromatics for 10 seconds. Turn heat up to medium-high. Add the broccoli, toss for 10 seconds. Return beef to the pan, toss for 10 seconds to combine.
- Serve: Transfer to a large serving plate. Serve hot with rice or fried rice!
Video
Notes
- Cookware size: Use a large sauté pan or wok. A 12-inch (31cm) pan is ideal.
- Use a splatter guard: Not a lid. A lid traps moisture and can make your stir fry soggy.
- Stir fry beef selections: Choose lean cuts and thin pieces of steak like flank, skirt, or sirloin tip. These are easier to slice thinly than thicker cuts like ribeye.
- Knife selection: I recommend a sharp boning knife for its thin, narrow tip, which is easy to control.
- Knife slicing technique: Slice the beef against the grain into thin pieces, not strips. Hold your knife at a 45-degree angle, moving from left to right instead of straight up and down.
- Temperature & Timing: Preheat your pan properly—it should be hot but not smoking. You should hear a sizzle throughout the cooking process.
- Make-ahead: You can slice and marinate the beef (velvet beef) up to one or two days in advance to save time.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1251mg | Potassium: 713mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 540IU | Vitamin C: 78mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg
