Chinese Beef and Broccoli

Juicy strips of seasoned Beef with Broccoli is what is on the menu tonight.  Freshly steamed broccoli florets tossed with tender slices of Prime Rib in a garlicky light brown sauce  No need to pick up the phone you can make this very popular Chinese restaurant style Beef and Broccoli dish in your own kitchen.  

Love is in the Air

Believe me, this is better than take out.  You will fall in love at first bite.

In fact, you may never go back to that old restaurant around the corner once you realize how easy this Chinese Style Beef & Broccoli dinner is to a make at home.  If you are anything like me you never feel satisfied after Chinese carryout and actually feel quite disappointed.   The sauces tend to be thick and gooey and the meat is usually tough and of questionable quality.  The vegetables are either limp or obviously from a can.

I am not a snob about canned veggies but I can dump stuff out of cans at home.  Why should I pay someone else for that?

Tonight you are the chef and Chinese Style Beef and Fresh Steamed Broccoli is on the menu.  Throw in an appetizer of Steamed Dumplings while you are at it!

Did I mention that I got a new steamer?

Best of the Basics

This basic piece of kitchen equipment could be a game changer for you.

I have had a bamboo steamer for years, decades probably, and use it a lot but on just one occasion I was not careful.  Once while steaming Chinese buns (hmmm that doesn’t sound right),  I realized the smell in my kitchen was not the wonderful aroma of warm bamboo that usually fills the kitchen but that of something actually burning in my kitchen.

I turned off the flame immediately and everything was right in the world again.  Not all right with the steamer trays but nothing else in my kitchen was burnt.

Disclaimer:  Be careful to use the proper size pan with your steamer or be extra smart and use a steamer ring when using a steamer.

My new bamboo steamer came with a steamer ring which I thought was a good idea to have this time around.

There are a lot of steamers out there that look very similar so it may be difficult to decide on which one to choose.  I have been wanting to replace my bamboo steamer and what better place to purchase than during our trip to Japan but since I had no space in my luggage, not even for a pack of gum,  I went shopping on Amazon to search for what I needed.

I ordered the Lukara Bamboo Steamer

My final decision on this brand was for a few reasons, the first being that they are a small business and I prefer to support folks that run small businesses rather than the big box stores when I can.  On Amazon the small business owners are identified by small little badges in a corner of the ad.

 

The Lukara Bamboo Steamer is reasonably priced but slightly higher than some you may see because it comes with several additional items that may come in handy.  There are  5 additional items and even bonus items to make it a great value overall.  I love the additional touch of the handy cookbook inside!

My final reason for Lukara, is that I know one of the co-owners of this brand and I know how dedicated he is to providing eco-friendly and sustainable life products. In these times we should all be concerned about the state of our environment and be more aware of what we are buying and what we are  throwing into the garbage heaps.  Some of the documentaries I have seen about food sourcing and the ecological dangers we are facing are truly frightening.

Products made of bamboo are an excellent choice as a renewable and sustainable resource.

Get Steaming

My new steamer arrived within 2 days and I put it to the test right away.  First, we have steamed Seafood Dumplings.

 

No, I am not suggesting you make these yourself.  Although there is a recipe in the cookbook that came with my steamer, I’ll save those for another day.

Homemade dumplings are phenomenal but time consuming. Store bought frozen dumplings are really very good and far quicker to prepare.  Find them in the freezer section of any Asian grocery store and typically you can select from vegetarian, seafood or meat filled dumpling options.

To prepare these from frozen, you simply bring about 1  1/2″ of water to boil.  Place the frozen dumplings on top of a liner in your steamer tray, replace the steamer  lid and set the steamer over the boiling water.  Steam for about 7 minutes or until easily pierced with a long bamboo or metal pick.

For the dumplings you must use a liner so the soft dough doesn’t stick to the bamboo and destroy your dumplings when you take them out.   I used Chinese cabbage leaves on this occasion but silicone liners come with many of the steamers and are super easy to clean.

Next up was a my plan to revise my Beef and Broccoli dinner recipe by steaming the broccoli rather than blanching.  Turned out awesome!   I love the crunch of the 4 minute steam.  Again bring a pot of water to boil, spread your florets in the tray and steam all 4 cups of florets at one time.    The steamer made it super easy and the texture of the broccoli was perfect!  Every floret had that little bit of crunchiness to it.  Not raw but firm.

 

I use rib eye steaks for my Chinese Beef & Broccoli which you may think is too extravagant. By all means switch out the rib eye for a flank or sirloin when you make yours.  I prefer the rib eye because it doesn’t require any effort to turn out tender and juicy. Honestly, you really don’t need to marinate the rib eye but I like to mix in the cornstarch with the meat to add body to the sauce and I add a touch of soy sauce at that time too.

This family style dish is one of my “go to” for larger gatherings and I want it to be memorable for all the right reasons so I use the Rib Eye.

Putting my new bamboo steamer to work to make this easy Chinese Style Beef & Broccoli dinner along with Steamed Dumplings appetizer was a lot of fun.  I believe it would be an impressive meal for that special someone on Valentine’s Day.

Go all out for your Valentine and get the Prime Rib and give this recipe a try.  Your love interest will know you are serious after just one bite.  Be sure to leave me a comment below and let me know how things turn out for you.

Love Chinese Beef and Broccoli?  You will also love these delicious recipes

Golden Teriyaki Chicken Shreds with Quick Homemade Sauce

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

Ginger Chicken

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