Beef & Broccoli {with Lo Mein noodles}

Always a favorite, fresh ingredients and great taste. Chinese food made at home is always inventive (think about using up veggies in your fridge.)  You can serve this dish over lo mein noodles or steamed rice. While changing up the vegetables in this dish is easy - remember if using beef, to use rib-eye steak - its a quick cooking beef that will turn out super tender when you bite into it.  If you use any other cut of beef, you are more likely to have a 'tough chew'...I buy one nice, fat rib eye steak, and trim off any fat while slicing, perfect for this recipe.  We do like things a little more "spicy" around here so, I do serve this with a Red Hot Chili Oil on the side (gets sprinkled over dish)  It's quite yummy!  If you want to add a little flavor to your lo mein noodles, shake a bit of soy sauce on them after draining off all water & before serving... ~Enjoy! Diane 



Beef & Broccoli 

Ingredients: 
1 lbs Rib Eye steak, sliced thin
2 Tbs canola oil 
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 onion, sliced thin
2 carrots, sliced thin
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
small can sliced water chestnuts
1 Tbs fish sauce or oyster sauce
a few dashes of soy sauce *to taste
salt & pepper *to taste 

Marinade: 
1 Tbs rice vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Directions: 
Combine all the marinade ingredients with beef in a bowl, set aside to marinate for at least 20 minutes. In the meantime, blanch broccoli and peas for 1 minute in a large pot of boiling water (you will use this pot to cook the lo mein noodles too.) Remove broccoli and peas and set aside, add in lo mein noodles and let cook (usually 4 minutes or according to your packaging) Lo mein noodles will "hold" well in water so, I drain off as much of the water after cooking that I can and leave a little bit for the noodles to set in while I prepare the rest of the dish.  In a hot wok, heat 1 Tbs of oil and stir-fry beef until it begins to brown, remove and set aside.  Clean the wok with a paper-towel, and heat the remaining oil.  Saute all the vegetables for a good 4-5 minutes. Add the beef back in, and season with the oyster sauce, any additional soy sauce, salt & pepper; *to your taste.  Serve over drained lo mein noodles. 

Recipe Adapted from: Cooks Encyclopedia: "Beef Chop Suey" 
Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home 

Marinate the beef (for at least 20 minutes)

have sliced veggies ready to go

blanch broccoli and peas in boiling water a minute

after blanching broccoli and sugar peas, I cook my lo mein noodles and hold over until final plating