Easy Stir Fry Recipe ~ Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

plate of beef and broccoli

This beef & broccoli easy stir fry recipe is so flavorful, you’ll think it’s take out!! Your family will love this delicious, homemade beef & broccoli meal. The beef & broccoli stir fry will not only please on the first night, the leftovers are oh so tasty too!

Ingredients for this Easy Stir Fry Recipe

Living in northern Wisconsin, our freezer is usually stocked with venison.  I love to substitute venison steak for the beef in this easy stir fry recipe.  After it’s marinated, you’ll never know the difference. 

Venison is such a lean meat too, it’s a healthier option for this meal if you’d like to try it.

Broccoli, carrot, onions, green onions, and ginger are items you’ll want to purchase fresh.  I also like to keep a can or two of water chestnuts in my pantry.  Although the recipe calls for one can, these can be optional.  But I LOVE water chestnuts so I usually add two cans to this meal!

beef and broccoli stir fry pin

If you’re unfamiliar with oyster sauce, you’ll find it in the grocery aisle by the Asian foods.  This yummy, thick sauce adds such a flavor punch to the meal, you’ll be surprised you’ve never used it before!

The toasted sesame oil, vegetable oil, cornstarch, baking soda, sesame seeds, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and rice are items I usually keep stocked in my pantry. 

Although some might think it’s cheating, I love to keep a jar of minced garlic in my fridge!  I use garlic in so many dishes (no vampires around our house, lol!), the jar of garlic is just a must for me!! 

Marinade the Steak

I remove the venison from the freezer and thaw it a few hours, but not totally.  Partially frozen steak is much easier to thinly slice.  If you’re using fresh steak, partially freeze it so you can easily slice it too!

sliced steak

Mix the corn starch, baking soda, soy sauce, and vegetable oil together well.  A whish works great for this task!  Then add the sliced steak.  Cover and set in the fridge to marinade for at least 30 minutes, up to 4 hours.  This is a meal I get started in the afternoon, and take my time to enjoy making!

If you’re not familiar with it, baking soda helps to tenderize the meat in a marinade.  Chemistry was never my jam, but it raises the pH on the meat’s surface, preventing the proteins to bond excessively.  This keeps the meat nice and tender! 

You definitely don’t want to skip the baking soda, as it helps to create that tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat that this dish is known for!

Toast the Sesame Seeds to Garnish This Easy Stir Fry Recipe

Aren’t sesame seeds just the cutest!  I don’t know how something this cute and small can add such a flavor burst, but they do!  Especially when they’re toasted!!  Just add the seeds to a small skillet, and over medium heat let them toast. 

toasting the sesame seeds in the pan

I usually sit and watch while they toast so I don’t forget about them and let them burn.  Just shake the pan a few times, and the seeds will jump around and get toasty pretty all over!  It really only just takes a few minutes to toast the seeds. 

Once toasted, I put them in a pretty little dish to be used later for garnish.

Make the Sauce to Add to the Stir Fry

Whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, sesame oil, brown sugar, and cornstarch.  Such a flavorful aroma!  Set the sauce aside, but leave the whisk in it.  You’ll definitely need to give it a good whisking again right before you add it to the stir fry. 

The cornstarch tends to settle to the bottom, so make sure the whisk it back up to the top so your sauce can thicken nicely. 

whisking the sauce together

If you like a saucy stir fry, you can double the sauce!  There’s no shame!! My family prefers the extra sauce over their rice, so I usually do double it but it’s totally up to you. 

One bottle of oyster sauce will be enough to double, so you don’t need to buy extra if that’s the route you choose to take too!

Prep the Veggies to Stir Fry

While the meat is marinading, I prep the veggies.  Again, I like to take my time so I can enjoy the process.  There is something so satisfying about cutting the pretty green broccoli florets. 

And slicing the pretty orange carrots into matchsticks!  They’re almost too pretty to cook, lol! 

Wedge the onions to finish off the veggie three-some that goes into this stir fry. 

I also slice up the green onions during this time (you can substitute scallions if you’d like), and put them in a pretty dish too to use as garnish for when the meal is served.

Start the Rice

In the middle of prepping the veggies, I usually get the rice going.  While the rice only takes about 15 minutes to cook, I always want to make sure it’s done before the stir fry so everything can be nice and hot when it’s served. 

The rice will keep hot if you keep it covered, even if it gets done cooking a few minutes before the stir fry is finished.  The cover is the trick!!  Just fluff up the rice with a fork right before you’re ready to serve it as the bedding for this tasty meal!

Frying the Steak

Make sure you get the oil nice and shimmering in the pan, over medium-high heat, before you add the first layer of marinaded steak.  Depending on how thin you’ve been able to slice it, it make only take a minute on each side to nicely brown and crisp. 

thinly sliced steak

One to two minutes on each side should do it! 

Only place one layer at a time in the pan, so you don’t get too much juice and so each individual piece of steak gets the chance to brown up. 

As you cook all the steak, keep the browned steak on a plate and cover it so it stays warm.

Cooking the Stir Fry

Once you’ve browned the steak, you’re ready to fry up the veggies for this easy stir fry recipe! 

I don’t even think about wiping down the skillet, the browned lovelies that are left behind from cooking the steak will add even more flavor to the cooked veggies.

Just add another Tablespoon of oil to the skillet, and over medium-high heat let it warm till it shimmers.  Add in the broccoli, carrots, and onion wedges and stir fry for 4-5 minutes.  It’ll look like a lot of veggies, but as they begin cooking a bit they reduce in size. 

frying the veggies

Then, reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper flakes, and water chestnuts.  Stir constantly, about a minute.  This step is so aromatic, your mouth will start to water!  Hold on, you’re almost done, lol!!

Add the browned steak back to the skillet, and give the sauce a final whisk.  Add the sauce to the skillet too, and stir it all together well.  Let the sauce thicken for about 3-4 minutes.  That’s it!!

Serving

On a bed of hot rice, serve the stir fry!!  Garnish with the green onions and toasted sesame seeds.  This meal goes nicely with a small salad, but works well just on its own too!

plate of beef and broccoli stir fry over rice

I hope you enjoy making and devouring this easy stir fry recipe as much as I do!

Oishii!!!

plate of beef and broccoli
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Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

This beef & broccoli easy stir fry recipe is so flavorful, you’ll think it’s take out!! Your family will love this delicious, homemade beef & broccoli meal. The beef & broccoli stir fry will not only please on the first night, the leftovers are oh so tasty too!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Marinade30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: easy recipe, stir fry, vegetables and rice
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 477kcal

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound beef steak, flank, round, or sirloin trimmed and sliced thin against the grain, can substitute venison!

Marinade:

  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sauce:

  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup oyster sauce
  • 1/3 cup water can substitute chicken or beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch

Stir Fry:

  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil divided
  • 2 small onions cut into wedges
  • 4 cups broccoli florets
  • 1 large carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger grated
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
  • 2 green onions sliced for garnish
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds toasted, for garnish

Rice

  • 2 cups Jasmine rice rinsed
  • 3 cups water

Instructions

  • Slightly freeze steak, so it's easier to slice into 1/8" thin pieces, cut against the grain and cut into 2" lengths.

Marinade

  • In a medium bowl combine marinade ingredients. Add the sliced steak. Toss to coat. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours, stored in the fridge.
    While the meat is in the marinade, prep the veggies. Start cooking the rice according to directions on package, cover to keep warm. Also, during this time toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat. Shake skillet side to side once or twice until seeds are browned. Put browned seeds in a bowl and set aside.

Sauce

  • Combine sauce ingredients. Whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Stir Fry

  • Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet or wok, over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half the steak, in a single layer. Cook until browned on one side and a bit crisp around the edges. Turn the slices over and continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes, until no longer pink. Remove to a plate and keep warm by covering. Repeat process with remaining steak, until all of it has been browned. Set steak aside, keeping warm by covering.
  • Add 1 Tablespoon oil into the same pan. Add the broccoli, carrots, and onion and over medium-high heat stir fry 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, and crushed red pepper flakes. Sauté, stirring constantly until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Return the cooked beef to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices. Whisk the sauce again to fully blend then add sauce to the skillet also. Cook, stirring frequently until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and serve over hot cooked rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
    Enjoy!!!

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Nutrition

Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 1488mg | Potassium: 685mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2448IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @lakegirlquilts or tag #lakegirlquilts!

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