Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• 100 ml beef stock
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 600 g beef sirloin or rump steak, thinly sliced against the grain
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 400 g broccoli, cut into small florets, stalk thinly sliced
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• steamed jasmine rice, to serve
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Toss the beef slices with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and the cornflour until every piece is glossy and coated. Season with a pinch of salt and a good crack of pepper, then set aside while you prep the rest — the cornflour will tighten on the surface and give you a better sear.
2. Whisk the oyster sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sesame oil, beef stock and sugar together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste it — most of the salt comes from the soy and oyster, but it should taste savoury and balanced, not flat.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over the highest heat your hob will give you, until it shimmers and the first wisp of smoke comes off. Lay the beef in a single layer — work in two batches if your wok isn't huge. Crowd it and the meat steams in its own juices instead of searing. Leave it untouched for 1 minute to take a proper crust, then stir-fry for 1 minute more until browned outside but still pink in the middle. Tip out onto a plate.
4. Add the broccoli to the hot wok and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until vivid green with a few charred edges and still a confident bite when you bite a stalk.
5. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds, just until fragrant — don't let the garlic colour past pale gold. Burnt garlic turns the whole wok bitter and there's no rescuing it.
6. Return the beef and any resting juices to the wok. Pour in the sauce and toss over high heat for 1–2 minutes — the cornflour and stock pull together into a thick, glossy coat that clings to every floret. Taste, adjust the seasoning now, taste again. Sort it here, not at the table.
7. Tip onto a warm platter, spoon any sauce left in the wok back over the top, scatter with the sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds, and serve straight away with steamed jasmine rice alongside.