Today’s recipe is courtesy of my buddy Naeema. She and I go way back. A few months after we got married, my husband and I attended Naeema’s wedding ceremony, and she and I have been friends ever since. Our situations were similar – we both had just moved to a brand new country, we were adjusting to married life and we were both more than a little homesick. I suppose, in a way, that was what initially brought us together. We’ve shared a lot of good times together since then – movies, dinners, trips and events. What’s even cooler is all three of my kids are the same age as the three of hers.
The first thing about Naeema that you would notice is that she’s full of life – the girl can charm most people, and can quite possibly out-talk anyone I know. With her funny puns, brazen humor and hilarious comebacks, you can rest assured that you’ll never be bored around her.
Naeema and her husband are wonderful hosts, and we would often get together at their house. She’s one of those people who mixes random ingredients that you wouldn’t think of putting together, but which ultimately result in a mouth-watering dish. This beef stir-fry with broccoli is one of my favorite things to eat at her house. She also makes a superb finger licking noodle dish to go along with this, but that’s a recipe for another time. Although I’ve relocated to another state, and we haven’t met in over 5 years, my friend and I still keep in touch and reminisce about the good ol’ days.
So go ahead, invite some friends over, and have them taste this dish. Trust me, this one’s a keeper.
Here’s how to make Naeema’s Beef stir-fry with broccoli :
Ingredients :
1 lb thinly sliced beef
Oil
2 stalks green onions thinly sliced (whites and greens separated)
5 cloves fresh garlic minced
1 tsp sambal olek
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp Tom Yum paste
2 cups broccoli
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup of chicken stock (more if you want extra gravy)
Marinade :
1 egg white
1 tsp soy sauce
¼ tsp each salt and pepper
Method :
- Mix beef with marinade ingredients. Heat wok on high, add 2 tbsp of oil and stir fry the beef in batches until it’s browned and slightly dry. About 3-4 minutes per batch. Keep aside.
- In the same wok, add 1 tbsp oil and stir fry the broccoli for 30 seconds.
- Add in the white part of the green onions, the minced garlic, tom yum paste, fish sauce, sambal olek, oyster sauce. Mix well and add the beef. Stir until the sauce coats the meat. Cook uncovered for 3-5 minutes.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in the chicken broth to make a slurry. Slowly add to the wok. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Taste for salt. Top with chopped green onions (the green part) and serve immediately over rice or noodles.
Note : Make sure all the ingredients and the slurry are ready so as not to over cook the beef and the broccoli. You could also substitute chicken or shrimp for beef, if needed.