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Recipe

Easy beef and broccoli stir-fry with chilli and buttery garlic rice

Prep time: 
10
Cook time: 
25
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
4
Beef, broccoli and chilli stir fry with spring onions in a fry pan, ready to serve and eat.

This dish is inspired by the Chinese dish beef and broccoli, and my grandma's chilli beef recipe. (ABC News: Zain Ayub)

Ismat Awan is Sydney-based multimedia culinary creative who blends her cultural heritage with modern cooking techniques. She works across a number of food publications and brands. She's on Instagram as @MadeByIsmat

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Remixing recipes with respect is something I love to do.

This dish is inspired by the Chinese dish beef and broccoli and my grandma's "chilli beef" recipe.

As a nod to my Darwin roots — where the multicultural food scene was bustling — and love for my nanoo's cooking, I've combined these two recipes, using pantry staples and one of my favourite ingredients: tahini.

Ingredients for beef chilli stir fry on a marble bench: beef strips, spring onions, broccoli, sesame seeds, tahini, oil, chil

Tip: Thinly slice beef with a sharp knife against the grain and on an angle to keep it nice and tender. (ABC News: Zain Ayub)

Since sesame oil is a staple in many East Asian cuisines, I decided to incorporate it in a different way using tahini, a ground sesame pace.

Introducing my chilli sesame beef and broccoli stir-fry! I serve it with buttery garlic rice because, well, why not?

Beef chilli stir fry cooking in a pan next to a pot of cooked rice with butter and garlic.

Take this dish to another level by serving it with buttery garlic rice. (ABC News: Zain Ayub)

Tips:

  • Chilli is optional: Leave it out if you're sensitive to spice.
  • Microwaveable rice hack: If you're pressed for time, mix microwavable rice with garlic sautéed in butter instead of cooking it from scratch.
  • Make it vegetarian: Use tempeh or tofu strips in place of meat and vegetable stock.
  • Beef preparation: Thinly slice with a sharp knife, against the grain and on an angle to keep it nice and tender. Thicker strips tend to get chewier, and this isn't ideal.
  • For extra tender beef: Many beef and broccoli recipes include a tenderisation step, where the meat is marinated with 1 teaspoon of baking soda before cooking. If you have time, do this one hour prior to cooking, taking care to cover and refrigerate the meat.
Beef broccoli and chilli stir fry served in a white bowl beside garlic butter rice.

You can adjust the amount of chilli you add so it's to your liking. (ABC News: Zain Ayub)

Easy beef and broccoli stir-fry with chilli and buttery garlic rice

Prep time: 
10
Cook time: 
25
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
4

Ingredients

For the buttery garlic rice:

For the stir fry:

For the sauce:

Method

  1. For the rice: In a small saucepan with a fitted lid, melt the butter on medium–low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened. Butter should be foaming and garlic lightly golden-brown.
  2. Toss the rice and salt through the buttery garlic then pour the hot stock on top. Stir and bring to a boil before turning the heat to low. Cover with a lid and allow to gently simmer for 15 minutes until the rice has absorbed the stock. Remove from heat and sit with the lid on for 10 minutes before fluffing rice with a fork and serving.
  3. Blanch the broccoli: Bring a pot of water to the boil over high heat and prepare a bowl of iced water. Add the broccoli to the boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, then place it in the iced water. This will keep it green and crunchy.
  4. For the beef: In a large, deep fry pan or wok over high heat, fry the beef strips in batches in olive oil. You want to get a nice sear on the meat so do not overcrowd the pan as the meat will stew and not brown. Once browned on both sides, about 1–2 minutes per side, remove from the pan and set aside. Using tongs holding paper towel, wipe the pan clean before the next step.
  5. Turn the heat down to medium and add in the sauce ingredients. Cook until thickened, about 1–2 minutes. You're looking for the consistency of satay sauce.
  6. Add the beef and broccoli into the pan with the sauce and toss to coat evenly. Remove from heat and set aside. Serve with the buttery garlic rice, a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds and spring onion.
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