CHINESE BEEF AND BROCCOLI WITH MUSROOMS

Here's a recipe sure to please Chinese food lovers! Again, it's easy, fast and delicious!

Add 1 cup rice to boiling water, or use a rice cooker. Give the rice a head start so it's cooked and ready to go when your beef dish is ready.

1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced
1/3 cup corn starch
2 tbls oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 cups broccoli flowerettes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tbls cornstarch

As mentioned before, mise en place (pronounced me sen plas) which means prep the ingredients by measuring and cutting everything beforehand. The cooking of this dish is so fast, you'll want to make sure you don't have to stop in between to prep something. Besides, it's quick and easy!

To give you a sense of value of mise en place, here's an example of how my day played out after I'd started my personal chef service.

After I'd graduated from culinary school, I did all the legwork to start my personal chef service. When a local newspaper reporter got wind of my service, he called and interviewed me. To my surprise, my phone was ringing off the hook and by the end of that day, I was immediately booked solid and cooking for twenty-one families per month, some on a weekly basis, others monthly. The service included me preparing a menu based on their meal preferences which would lead to me preparing five different meals for the client.

The day of service, I'd leave my home and head to the supermarket by 8:00AM, then go straight to their home and begin prepping the ingredients by 9:15AM for every single meal. Sometimes it seemed like I'd never get done prepping, but I was always ready to start cooking by 12:00 Noon. In addition to the meals, I was baking cornbread or biscuits, salads and a dessert.

The meals were cooked in their homes because I didn't have a commercial kitchen. Once cooked, the food was divided into serving containers, double wrapped with a label for reheating, and stored in their refrigerator or freezer. After cleaning up the mess I'd made in the kitchen, I'd set the table, then head for home. By prepping ahead of time, I was done for the day and ready to leave for home by 2PM. That my friends, is the value of mise en place!

So what are we waiting for? Let's get busy!

 

This is the ginger paste I use. You can find this tube in the refrigerated section of your supermarket with the other herbs in the vegetable aisle.

 

 

Slice the beef thinly on an angle. Slice mushrooms and break broccoli into small flowerettes. Using a large plastic bag, add the cornstarch and the sliced beef, shake to coat. Using a well-seasoned wok, add the oil and turn the flame up to high to heat the wok.

 Add the garlic, ginger and dusted beef slices to the hot oil and fry, turning frequently until slightly brown.

 

Remove the beef and place in a bowl until ready for use at the end. Add the vegetables to the hot wok, and pour all but 1/4 cup of the stock, soy sauce and brown sugar mixture. Continue to turn frequently. The soy and stock help to steam the vegetables. Remember, you want the veggies crisp tender.

 

 Before adding the remaining soy mixture, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to it and stir until completely dissolved. Add to the vegetables and continue turning until thickened, then add the beef back in, turning to combine until everything is covered evenly with the sauce.

 

 

And ta da! You have Chinese Beef, Mushrooms and Broccoli served over rice.

 

 I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did! I trialed this recipe last week for the first time to make sure it was good enough to share with you. Well, we did, so here's the recipe. Okay, so now it's your turn!