Beef with Broccoli | Kenji's Cooking Show

Summary by Krater

J. Kenji López-Alt demonstrates how to make Chinese-American stir-fried beef and broccoli at home using a carbon steel wok, explaining marination techniques with baking soda, cornstarch, and sauces, and concluding with a sweet, savory, and aromatic stir-fry dish.

From the video

Answers: How do I make Chinese-American beef and broccoli stir-fry at home?

• Beef and broccoli stir-fry
• Meat marination with baking soda
• Carbon steel wok cooking
• Broccolini preparation
• Stir-fry sauce preparation
• Wok heat management

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb flank steak
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• sesame oil
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• MSG
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking soda
• broccolini
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• garlic
• ginger

What it concludes

• Cutting meat against the grain shortens muscle fibers to make pieces more tender.
• Adding baking soda to meat marinades raises pH and helps retain moisture and tenderness.
• Stir-frying relies on fast moisture evaporation and sauces for color rather than Maillard reaction alone.
• Adding cold water to cornstarch prevents dry clumps from forming.
• Wok burners at home typically output around 15,000 to 30,000 BTUs, whereas restaurant burners reach 160,000 to 200,000 BTUs.