Spicy Broccoli Beef

Name: Spicy Broccoli Beef
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 8 oz Beef tenderloin steak sliced thin across the grain; 3-4 cups Chinese broccoli cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, larger stems split; 4 Garlic, large cloves roughly ground with the chili; 4 Thai hot chilies roughly ground with the garlic; 2 3/4 tablespoons Oyster sauce; 2 3/4 teaspoons Light soy sauce; 2/3 teaspoon Dark sweet soy sauce; 1 1/3 tablespoons Vegetable oil

Pad Kana Neua

Tender beef and Chinese broccoli stir-fried with garlic and hot chili

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 5 min
Serves: 4
Heat: medium

This is the familiar broccoli beef combination given a Thai treatment: garlic and hot chili ground together roughly, rather than minced fine, so their pieces stand out against the green once everything's plated. Tender beef strips cook fast in that fragrant oil before a splash of oyster and soy sauce turns sticky and gets deglazed with a little water. Chinese broccoli goes in last and only needs a matter of seconds to wilt, so the dish keeps its color and crunch rather than going soft the way a lot of restaurant versions do.

Ingredients

8 oz Beef tenderloin steak (sliced thin across the grain)
3-4 cups Chinese broccoli (cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, larger stems split)
4 Garlic, large cloves (roughly ground with the chili)
4 Thai hot chilies (roughly ground with the garlic)
2 3/4 tablespoons Oyster sauce
2 3/4 teaspoons Light soy sauce
2/3 teaspoon Dark sweet soy sauce
1 1/3 tablespoons Vegetable oil

Directions

Slice the beef thin across the grain. Cut the Chinese broccoli into 1 1/2-inch pieces, splitting any larger stems. Roughly grind the garlic and chili together into coarse pieces.
Warm the oil in a wok over low heat. Add the garlic and chili once the oil is warm and fry slowly for about a minute, watching closely so the garlic doesn't burn.
Add the beef and fry for about a minute, stirring often, until nearly cooked.
Add the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and dark sweet soy sauce. Raise the heat to high and let the sauce get hot and bubbly.
When the sauce looks like it might catch on the pan, add a splash of water and stir well to deglaze and pull the flavor back into the sauce.
Once bubbling again, add the broccoli and toss well. It takes less than a minute for the leaves to wilt — turn off the heat while the broccoli is still bright green and a little crunchy.
Serve over steamed rice, or on a shared platter with other dishes. A couple of whole Thai hot chilies on the side make a nice garnish.

Notes

Pull the broccoli off the heat as soon as it wilts — it should stay bright green and a little crunchy, not go dull and soft.

Substitutions

Regular broccoli, cut into large pieces, works fine in place of Chinese broccoli. Chicken or pork can replace the beef.