Sticky Beef with Broccoli & Steamed Rice

By: Sarah Kelly

I always have a good selection of condiments in the fridge ready to use and enhance any weeknight dinner. I often laugh when I open my fridge as 80 percent of my items are condiments!

My go-to condiment is chili garlic sauce. You can either make this from scratch using red chili flakes, sesame oil, minced garlic and red chili flakes or you can purchase at the store. I find there are a lot of good options on the shelf.

I tend to make a lot of quick Asian inspired dishes at home and like to brighten them up with fresh vegetables and lots of herbs.

HOW TO GET THE RIGHT CONSISTENCY FOR STICKY BEEF SAUCE

One of the key elements of a good sticky beef dish is ensuring the sauce is, in fact, sticky. It’s right there in the name! 

Flour, cornstarch, and water are all used to help thicken sauces. Our favorite option is using cornstarch because it won’t make your sauce look cloudy. It is also a wonderful gluten-free alternative to flour. In this sticky beef recipe, you will notice the inclusion of 1 cup of corn starch, which is in equal part to our liquid of ½ cup of water and ½ of soy sauce.  

When the mixture begins to bubble, lower your heat and simmer the sauce for approximately five minutes. The sauce should reduce by about half, creating a lovely, sticky glaze for your Asian sticky beeftenderloin pieces.

If you find the sauce to thin or too thick to your liking, it’s incredibly easy to adjust on the fly.

Finding your preferred sauce consistency is simply a matter of increasing the thickening agent (cornstarch) or thinning agent (water).

Taste testing for the right sauce viscosity can be intimidating, but by making small adjustments at a time, you can find the balance to your stick asian beef.

To decide if your sauce is the proper consistency, use the spoon test. Simply dip a spoon in the sticky beef sauce and if it coats the back of the spoon, you can assume it will coat the beef and broccoli, as well.

Ingredients

Beef

  • 1 pkg. (1 lb.) SRF Tenderloin Pieces Buy Now
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sliced green onion
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Broccoli

  • 2 bunches broccolini, about 8 stems
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chili garlic oil

Rice

  • 3 cups cooked rice

Beef

In a medium size bowl mix cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add the tenderloin pieces and toss to coat.
Heat a large sauté pan heat over medium. Once hot, add the sesame seeds and toast, about 2 minutes. Take out of pan and set aside.
In the same pan sauté garlic with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for about 2 minutes until soft but not browned. Take out of pan and put in a small bowl.
Add the sesame oil and the rest of the vegetable oil to the sauté pan and heat until hot. Shake off dredge from meat pieces and place in pan. Give the pan a quick shake to loosen up the meat and prevent from sticking. Cook in the pan on medium undisturbed for about 3 minutes per side.
Meanwhile in the small bowl with the garlic and shallots, mix together water, brown sugar and soy sauce. Once the meat has cooked on all sides and the outside is crisp, add the sauce liquid. Let come to a boil and simmer until the sauce thicken and starts to coat the crispy beef. At the very end add the sesame seeds and green onion.
Serve with broccoli and steamed rice.

Broccoli

Boil a medium size pot of water with a dash of salt. Blanch broccolini in boiling water for about 2 minutes.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Take out finished broccolini with tongs and place in a sauté pan. Add vinegar and chili oil, toss quickly to combine to brown the garlic. Set aside.

Rice

Steam rice according to package.