20-Minute Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

This easy beef and broccoli stir-fry comes together in 20 minutes, with tender beef, crisp broccoli and a simple soy and oyster sauce. Everything cooks in one large pan or wok, so dinner is ready quickly on busy weeknights, with the beef, broccoli and sauce coming together in a single pan.

The order matters. The beef is tossed with soy sauce and cornflour, then browned first over high heat and set aside. Broccoli, garlic and ginger follow in the same pan, then stock and oyster sauce are added and the pan is covered so the broccoli cooks until just tender. The beef returns for a final toss in this easy beef and broccoli stir-fry, so it is coated and heated through without overcooking.

Expect beef that is browned rather than steamed, broccoli that stays bright and slightly crisp, and a savoury sauce that coats rather than floods the pan. Serve it immediately with rice, as written, for a complete weeknight dinner. For more quick weeknight ideas, try the 30-Minute One-Pan Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta, the 25-Minute One-Pan Sausage and Peppers Skillet, or browse more Dinner recipes.

Key Ingredients Explained

Beef sirloin

Beef sirloin, sliced very thinly against the grain, is the main ingredient. Thin slices brown quickly over high heat in 2-3 minutes, which keeps the beef tender. Flank, sliced thinly against the grain, is the other cut named in the FAQs.

Broccoli florets

Broccoli is stir-fried for 2 minutes, then covered with stock and oyster sauce for a further 2 minutes until just tender. It should stay bright and slightly crisp, not soft. Frozen broccoli can be used, cooked straight from frozen, with 1-2 extra minutes.

Soy sauce, oyster sauce and cornflour

Soy sauce is used twice: to toss the beef with cornflour before cooking, and as part of the flavour of the dish. Cornflour helps the beef coat and brown, while oyster sauce, added with stock, gives the finished sauce its savoury body. For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free soy and oyster sauces.

Vegetable oil

Vegetable oil is used in two parts: 1 tablespoon to stir-fry the beef over high heat, and the remaining oil for the broccoli, garlic and ginger. Keeping the pan very hot helps the beef brown rather than steam.

Garlic and ginger

Minced garlic and grated fresh ginger are stir-fried with the broccoli for 2 minutes. They season the pan before the stock and oyster sauce go in, so their flavour runs through the sauce.

Beef stock, sesame oil and rice

Beef stock, or water, is added with the oyster sauce to finish cooking the broccoli under cover. Sesame oil is stirred in at the very end, after the beef returns to the pan, and cooked rice is served with the stir-fry.

Ingredients

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes. Total time: 20 minutes. Serves 4. The full ingredient list is in the recipe card below.

Instructions

1. Toss the beef with soy sauce and cornflour and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan or wok over high heat and stir-fry the beef for 2-3 minutes until browned; remove and set aside.
3. Add the remaining oil, then stir-fry broccoli, garlic and ginger for 2 minutes.
4. Add stock and oyster sauce, cover and cook for 2 minutes until the broccoli is just tender.
5. Return the beef to the pan, toss for 1 minute until coated and heated through, then stir in sesame oil.
6. Serve immediately with rice.

Tip: Slice the beef as thinly as possible and keep the pan very hot so it browns rather than steams.

Tip: Do not overcook the broccoli; it should stay bright and slightly crisp after its covered 2 minutes.

Tip: Return the beef only for the final 1-minute toss, so it is coated and heated through without losing its browning.

What to Serve With

Serve immediately with cooked rice, as in the recipe. Rice is the natural partner for the soy and oyster sauce, and serving straight away keeps the broccoli crisp and the beef hot.

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