Beef with Broccoli

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a wonderfully simple stir-fry meal. While I make it throughout the year, this dish appears on my table more often in the fall because locally grown broccoli is so readily available. The dish has just two major ingredients, beef and broccoli, and it gets most of its flavor from the addition of oyster sauce. Oyster sauce is a thick, brown sauce with a sweet, salty, and earthy flavor and it is a major component of Asian cooking. True or not, the development of the sauce is credited to the owner of a small eatery that sold and cooked oysters. One day he smelled an especially strong aroma coming from the pot in which he cooked his oyster soup. He had lost track of time, and the soup, which was normally clear, had turned into a thick brown sauce. He liked its flavor well enough to begin selling it locally. It became very popular so this savvy businessman formed a company, called Lee Kum Kee, to mass produce it. While I can't vouch for the truth of the story, I can vouch for the flavor of this quick and simple Chinese-style stir-fry. I do hope you'll give this recipe, developed by Nancie McDermott, a try. All the ingredients needed to make this stir-fry can be found in any well-stocked grocery store and, if you don't overcook the broccoli, you're in for a quick and delicious meal. Here's how the dish is made.

Beef with Broccoli...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Nancie McDermott

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce or molasses (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
1/2 pound thinly sliced beef
3 cups broccoli florets

Directions:
1) Combine chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, if using, and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir to make a smooth sauce. Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl.
2) Heat a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat pan. Add garlic and ginger and toss until they release their fragrance.
3) Add beef, spreading it out into a single layer. Cook undisturbed until edges change color, about 30 seconds. Toss well, and then add broccoli florets. Cook 1 minute, tossing once, until they are shiny and bright green.
4) Add chicken stock mixture, pouring it in around the sides of pan. Cook, tossing often, until the broccoli is tender and the beef is done, 2 to 3 minutes.
5) Add cornstarch mixture to center of the pan. Toss to combine everything well, and as soon as sauce thickens, transfer to a serving plate. Serve hot or warm. Yield: 4 servings.

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Beef with Oyster Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This dish is a favorite of the Silver Fox. He is a committed carnivore and the relative lack of vegetables in this stir-fry make it more to his liking than some of the other Asian-inspired dishes I make. He also likes the sweet and salty flavor of good oyster sauce. Traditionally, the sauce was made by simmering oysters in water until the juices caramelize into a thick brown sauce with a rich flavor that the Japanese call umami. These days shortcuts are taken to produce that flavor at a lower cost. Most oyster sauce today is made with a base of oyster extract to which salt, sugar and cornstarch are added. Soy sauce and MSG can also often added to deepen flavor and color. One of the techniques that improves the flavor of this dish is velveting. Velveting is a technique that is used in Chinese cuisine for preserving the moisture of meat while cooking. It literally softens the texture of animal protein by pre-coating it in a mixture that can contain oil, eggwhite, cornstarch and sherry or Chinese rice wine. Meat treated in this fashion can then be sauteed, stir-fried, deep-fried, simmered or boiled and still retain its moisture. This is an easy dish to prepare and can be table ready in 30 minutes. Better still, it is delicious. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here's how beef in oyster sauce is made.

Beef with Oyster Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Nancie McDermott

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3/4 pound thinly sliced beef
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

Directions:
1) Combine soy sauce, sherry and cornstarch in a medium bowl, stirring to mix well. Add beef and toss to coat it evenly. Let sit for 10 minutes.
2) Combine oyster sauce, chicken stock, sugar and salt in another small bowl, stirring to mix well.
3) Heat a wok or large high-sided skillet. Add oil and heat until it shimmers. Add ginger and toss or stir until fragrant. Add beef to pan, and cook without stirring for about a minute and then toss or stir.
4) Add carrots and cook, stirring, until they are softened, about 30 seconds. Add oyster sauce mixture and toss to coat ingredients. Cook until beef is cooked and sauce thickens. Add green onions and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.








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Minced Chicken with Oyster Sauce

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I am really thrilled to be using the recipe of a friend for the "something borrowed" portion of my old, new, borrowed, blue extravaganza. Many of you already know Kristy and follow her blog My Little Space. Those of you who are unfamiliar with her work, should know that while the space in which Kristy cooks may be small, her Malaysian kitchen produces enormous flavors, many of which can be reproduced in Western kitchen and enjoyed by Western palates. That's the case with one of the dishes she recently featured. Kristy had developed a recipe for seaweed tofu that sounded delicious, but what caught my eye was the sauce she made to accompany it. As I read through the ingredients, I could see that it would also work well in lettuce cups or served over rice. It was a great recipe on several levels. It used readily available ingredients, it was affordable, it was easy to make and, best of all, it could be on the table in less than 30 minutes. Not having any ground chicken in the house, I pulled out a pound of ground turkey and got right to work to see if I could add delicious to the list of adjectives used to describe the dish. I definitely could, and I'm delighted to share my version of the recipe with you. It's perfect for busy nights. I know that those of you who try this will not be disappointed. Here's the recipe.

Minced Chicken with Oyster Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Kristy at My Little Space

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup minced shallots or red onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound ground chicken or turkey
6 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (white, black or red)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup water or chicken broth
1 small red bell pepper, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 small green bell pepper, cut in 1/4-inch dice
Cooked rice

Directions:
1) Heat a wok or large frying pan. Add oil and heat until it shimmers. Stir in shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2) Lower heat to medium. Stir in chicken and saute for about 2 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
3) Stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce and whatever pepper you have chosen. Bring contents of wok to a simmer. Dissolve cornstarch in water or stock. Add to wok and cook until thickened. Stir in diced pepper. Remove from heat. Serve hot over rice or at room temperature in lettuce cups. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chicken Pasta with Garlic Toast - Courtney's Sweets
Thai Crystal Noodle Salad - My Gourmet Connection
Baked Chicken Meatballs - In the Kitchen with Kath
Chicken Meatball and Orzo Soup - A Self-Confessed Foodie
Kickin' Chicken Stroganoff - Ma, What's for Dinner?
Turkey and Chicken Meatloaf - Our Kitchen Island
Chicken Chili - Beautiful Life
Ground Chicken Teriyaki with Zucchini and Onions - Life's Ambrosia