I really try not to have any food-related vices, mostly because, generally speaking, I eat whatever I want and deal with the consequences of that manifesto. But if I had to name my foodie guilty pleasures they would be 1) sharing a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked with a friend and 2) ordering a greasy Chinese feast always made up of fried pork dumplings, garlic eggplant and beef and broccoli. There’s something about overcooked vegetables drowned in a usually unidentifiable but always delicious brown sauce that gets me every time.
I’m pleased to share with you that this delicious unidentifiable brown sauce is super easy to replicate at home, and you can pair it with vegetables that are not soggy and overcooked, but still green, crispy and alive. You can also use this as an opportunity to not contribute to climate change, and swap out the beef in your favorite beef and broccoli for “beef.” This is what I did, and I was not sorry.
Don’t let “beef” intimidate you. What I used was from the refrigerated aisle of my very favorite Hong Kong Supermarket on Hester Street, where I like to go to look at the crazy animal parts in the butcher section and to watch fights break out regularly between the fish monger and shoppers, none of which I can understand. The tofu you want to use for this dish is not your standard extra firm from Whole Foods, but a refrigerated block that’s seasoned with Chinese five spice and some other delicious but unidentifiable things (this is clearly a theme in Western eating of Chinese cooking). It’s usually kind of a dark red color and very firm to the touch. It slices easily and has a very meaty texture and flavor. Perfect for this dish.
Besides a few special ingredients, which nowadays are easy to find on Amazon or online grocery stores that specialize in Asian products, you really just need a wok. This is probably blasphemy but I think you could also probably just get this done in a large pan if you really wanted to. But the wok creates different temperature zones and ensures that each of the components of the dish get cooked. It’s not a steep investment at all (you want a round-bottomed carbon steel wok) and you’ll be stir-frying your heart out in no time. Plus, once you’ve mastered this delicious but unidentifiable brown sauce, you’ll want to be using it on all of your vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (to make this receipe truly vegetarian, find a vegetarian oyster sauce made of mushroom)
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Pinch of white pepper
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- 3 heads broccoli, 1 lb. each
- 2 quarts water
- 1/2-inch-thick slice ginger, peeled and lightly smashed
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 6 seasoned bean curd cakes (8 oz.), but into 1/8-inch-thick slices
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
Instructions
- To make the sauce, mix together all of the ingredients from the oyster sauce to the vegetable stock in a small bowl and reserve.
- To water-blanch the broccoli, first trim the broccoli heads into florets. You should have about 1 pound florets. In a pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the smashed ginger, 1 tablespoon salt and baking soda. When the water returns to a boil, add the broccoli and blanch for 10 seconds, then turn off the heat. The broccoli will turn bright green immediately on being immersed in the water. The extra seconds will tenderize the florets. Run cold water into the pot, then drain off the water. Run cold water into the pot again, then drain the broccoli in a strainer over a bowl and reserve. Discard the ginger.
- Heat a wok over high heat for 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the peanut oil and, using a spatula, coat the wok with the oil. When a wisp of white smoke appears, add the garlic and stir briefly until the garlic turns light brown. Add the bean curd slices and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until thoroughly mixed with the garlic. Turn off the heat, transfer to a small bowl and reserve.
- Turn on the heat to high under the wok. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil, the 1/4 teaspoon salt and minced ginger and stir for 45 seconds, or until very hot. Add the reserved broccoli and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until the broccoli is well coated with the ginger and oil. Add the reserved bean curd and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are well mixed and very hot. Make a well in the center of the mixture, stir the sauce and pour it into the well. Stir to mix for about 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
- Turn off the heat, transfer to a heated plate and serve.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2016/03/09/stir-fried-beef-with-broccoli/
