Saucy Beef with Broccoli

I make Saucy Beef with Broccoli when I want beef, vegetables, and a good amount of sauce for my rice. This has thin slices of beef and broccoli cooked in a brown sauce made with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and beef broth. It is not the same as my beef and broccoli stir fr quick stir fry version because this one has more sauce. That is why I like it with hot rice.

At home, I usually serve this with crispy spinach as an appetizer. Sometimes the spinach ends up on the same plate too because it tastes so good with the sauce. If the only beef and broccoli you have made is the classic kind with a light coating, you might think the extra broth will make this watery. It does not. The broth simmers with the oyster sauce and the cornstarch from the beef, so the sauce thickens as it cooks.

The simmer is what makes this version work. Once the beef browns and the oyster sauce coats each slice, pour in the broth and cover the pan. Let it cook on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Add the broccoli near the end so it stays bright and keeps a little bite.

What is Saucy Beef with Broccoli?

Saucy Beef with Broccoli is a Filipino-Chinese stir fry of tender sliced beef and broccoli florets in a brown sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and beef broth, thickened by the cornstarch in the beef marinade. This version has more sauce, so I like it over rice.

Most people know beef and broccoli from Chinese-American restaurants, but it became just as familiar in Filipino homes because it is simple to cook. The oyster sauce gives it the savory brown sauce flavor that many of us look for in this dish.

This is different from the usual stir fry because it has more sauce. A regular version keeps the coating thin so the beef stays glossy and dry, while this one lets the broth cook down until it turns into a thicker sauce. In many Filipino homes, the extra sauce is what makes it good with rice.

Ingredients

• Beef sirloin – Sirloin sliced thin is my pick here because it stays tender through the simmer without turning chewy. Slice it across the grain.
• Soy sauce – Goes into both the marinade and the sauce. I use regular soy sauce, not the sweet kind.
• Cooking wine – The Chinese rice wine used for stir fries. It takes the raw edge off the beef and gives the sauce a little more depth.
• Cornstarch – This goes into the marinade, not a separate slurry. It coats the beef and later helps the broth thicken into a sauce as it simmers.
• Oyster sauce – This gives the sauce its main flavor. Use a brand you trust, since a thin, watery oyster sauce makes a weaker gravy.
• Beef broth – Beef broth gives the dish enough liquid to turn into a sauce. Use a good broth, or a cube dissolved in water.
• Broccoli – Cut the florets into even, bite-size pieces so they cook at the same rate. Fresh holds up better than frozen here.
• Ginger – Minced. I use two thumb-size pieces because ginger keeps the sauce from tasting flat.
• Onion – Sliced. It softens into the sauce and gives it a fuller flavor.
• Cooking oil – For sauteing the aromatics and browning the beef.
• Salt and ground black pepper – To taste, added at the end after the broth reduces, since the oyster sauce and soy are already salty.

Oyster sauce does most of the work here. It is a thick, savory-sweet sauce made from oyster extract that gives the dish its brown color and deep flavor. Most groceries carry it in the Asian aisle. If you cannot find it, there is a workable swap in the substitutions section below.

Have everything sliced and the beef marinated before you start. Once the pan is hot, this Saucy Beef with Broccoli comes together quickly.

1. Combine the beef with the soy sauce, cooking wine, and cornstarch in a bowl and mix until every slice is coated.
2. Let it marinate for 15 minutes while you slice the onion and broccoli and mince the ginger.

The cornstarch coats the beef first to keep it tender, then helps thicken the sauce as it simmers.

1. Heat the cooking oil in a pan over medium heat, then saute the ginger and onion until the onion softens.
2. Add the marinated beef and stir fry until the slices turn brown on the outside.

1. Pour in the oyster sauce and stir fry for one minute so it coats the beef.
2. Add the beef broth, stir, then cover the pan and cook on low heat for 10 to 12 minutes. The sauce will reduce and thicken in this time.
3. Uncover and add the broccoli, then cover again and cook for about three minutes so it stays bright with a little crunch.
4. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste, then transfer to a plate and serve warm over rice.

What to Serve with Saucy Beef with Broccoli

• Steamed white rice – Plain hot rice is what I serve this over. The extra sauce soaks right in.
• Crispy spinach – What I serve as an appetizer, and I usually end up eating it with the beef because the sauce works so well with the crisp leaves.
• Yang Chow fried rice – I usually pair the drier stir-fry version with this, but it is good here too.
• Egg drop soup – Good when you want soup on the side but nothing too heavy.

Storage

This Saucy Beef with Broccoli keeps well, so leftovers store and reheat easily.

• Refrigerator: I keep what is left in an airtight container in the fridge and use it within about 3 days. The sauce gets thicker as it sits, so I stir in a spoon of water or broth while reheating to bring it back to the way it was.
• Freezer: If I need to freeze a batch, it holds for up to 2 months. The one thing I have noticed is that the broccoli turns soft after thawing, so when I plan ahead I freeze only the beef and sauce and add fresh broccoli when I reheat it.
• Reheating: I warm it back up in a pan over low heat with a little broth or water so the sauce loosens again. For a single serving the microwave is fine too, I just heat it until it is hot all the way through.

• Beef sirloin – Flank or skirt steak work well, sliced thin across the grain. For a different protein, chicken with broccoli uses the same oyster sauce base with chicken instead.
• Oyster sauce – Hoisin sauce loosened with a little soy sauce is the closest swap, though it runs a touch sweeter. In a pinch, soy sauce with a small pinch of sugar works.
• Cooking wine – Dry sherry stands in well. You can leave it out and still get a good dish, just with a little less depth.
• Beef broth – Chicken broth or a beef cube dissolved in water both work. Beef broth keeps it closest to the original.

More Beef Recipes to Try

• Mongolian Beef – Sliced beef in a sweet and salty soy glaze, another takeout favorite you can make at home.
• Pepper Steak – Beef stir fried with bell peppers and onions in a similar brown sauce.
• Beef Stir Fry – A quick, all-purpose beef stir fry for busy nights.
• Stir Fried Ginger Beef – Tender beef with a strong, warming hit of ginger.
• Lo Mein with Beef and Broccoli – The same flavors tossed with noodles for a one-bowl meal.

Saucy Beef with Broccoli is the version I make when I want extra sauce for rice. I hope you give this saucy beef and broccoli a try. Add crispy spinach on the side if you can. Watch the video above if you w