Broccoli and Beef Stir-Fry

From: Great American Brand Name Recipes Cookbook

Ingredients:
boneless tender beef steak (about 1/2 lb or so)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
4 Tbsp soy sauce, divided
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp minced fresh ginger root
1 cloved minced garlic
1 lb broccoli
1 1/4 cups water
4 tsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, chunked
hot cooked rice

Cut beef across grain into thin slices. Combine 1 Tbsp each cornstarch and soy sauce with sugar, ginger and garlic in small bowl; stir in beef. Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop broccoli if necessary. Combine water, 4 tsp cornstarch and remaining 3 Tbsp soy sauce; set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in hot wok or large skillet over high heat. Add beef and stir-fry 1 minute; remove.

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil in same pan. Add broccoli and onion; stir-fry 4 minutes. Stir in beef and soy sauce mixture. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Serve immediately over rice.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I made ours with not just broccoli, but also carrots, red peppers and green peppers. I actually did onions and some peppers separately in some soy sauce mixture because Stephen doesn't like onions but I love them. Also, when I do stir-fry I always do the same thing to my beef - I cut it, spread it on the cutting board, pour over it salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion powder, and Italian seasoning (or other spices if I'm feeling creative), then I flip the pieces and sprinkle all of those on the other side. I mix it really well, and then for this recipe I "hand-breaded" it in the cornstarch/soy sauce/garlic/ginger mix. It really coated the beef and was very thick. Yum! I threw the carrots and peppers in at the same time as the broccoli. I also cooked everything much longer than the recipe called for.

What I'll do differently next time:
A combination of the above, probably.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! We eat a lot of stir-fry and this is the first time I've added peppers - the green ones came in our food co-op last week and the red were on clearance a couple of weeks ago. Stephen definitely crinkled his nose at the smell of the peppers cooking but to his credit he ate them. He said they were delicious and I thought so too! I was surprised that the flavor was not really intense of this dish though. I left out a little soy sauce because it seemed like a lot to me, but I ended up dashing my serving with honey terikayi marinade and it was awesome.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
boneless tender beef steak (about 1/2 lb or so)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
4 Tbsp soy sauce, divided
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp minced fresh ginger root
1 cloved minced garlic
1 lb broccoli
1 1/4 cups water
4 tsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, chunked
hot cooked rice

Cut beef across grain into thin slices. Combine 1 Tbsp each cornstarch and soy sauce with sugar, ginger and garlic in small bowl; stir in beef. Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chop broccoli if necessary. Combine water, 4 tsp cornstarch and remaining 3 Tbsp soy sauce; set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in hot wok or large skillet over high heat. Add beef and stir-fry 1 minute; remove.
Heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil in same pan. Add broccoli and onion; stir-fry 4 minutes. Stir in beef and soy sauce mixture. Cook and stir until mixture boils and thickens. Serve immediately over rice.