P.F. Chang's Beef with Broccoli
A copycat of P.F. Chang's Beef with Broccoli, tested until it matched. It uses the Mongolian sauce, an alkaline soy marinade, and egg white velveting with potato starch. The beef is par-fried in 350°F oil before a 2-minute finishing stir-fry with blanched broccoli, ginger, scallions, and a cornstarch slurry. Adapted for a home kitchen.
Servings 2 servings
Calories 450kcal
Equipment
- 1 Made-In Carbon Steel Wok For passing beef through the oil
- 1 14-inch Mandarin Wok For the final stir-fry
- 1 Wok Spider/Strainer For removing beef from oil
- 1 Wire Cooling Rack For draining fried beef
- 1 Whisk For making the sauces
- 1 Colander For draining broccoli
- 1 Salad Spinner For drying broccoli after blanching
- 1 Infrared Thermometer For checking oil temperature
Ingredients
The Dark Sauce
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon Minor's Original Chicken Base Minor's Original Chicken Base or Knorr/Lee Kum Kee Asian chicken bouillon powder
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 6 tablespoon soy sauce Lee Kum Kee Low Sodium (green bottle) or Kikkoman
- 1 tablespoon mushroom dark soy sauce Lee Kum Kee
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce Lee Kum Kee Panda Brand (green bottle) or Premium
- 2 tablespoon cooking michiu or Shaoxing cooking wine
The Mongolian Sauce
- 1 batch dark sauce approximately 260 ml (see above)
- 5 tablespoon sugar
The Alkaline Soy Marinade
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup soy sauce Lee Kum Kee Low Sodium (green bottle) or Kikkoman
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
The Flank Steak
- 9 oz flank steak sliced against the grain into ⅛-inch pieces
Egg White Velveting
- ½ egg white
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
The Broccoli
- 8 oz broccoli florets
Final Stir-Fry
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon dehydrated minced garlic reconstituted in warm water for 20-30 minutes, drained
- 2 teaspoon ginger fresh, minced
- 1 tablespoon scallions sliced thin
- 5 tablespoon Mongolian sauce see above
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mix with 2 teaspoon water into slurry before adding
- 2 teaspoon water for cornstarch slurry
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil added after heat is off
Instructions
Make the Dark Sauce
- Add ¼ cup of water to a small pot with ½ teaspoon of Minor's Original Chicken Base and ¼ cup of sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and whisk until the sugar and chicken base are dissolved.
- Remove from heat. Add 6 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of mushroom dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, and 2 tablespoon of cooking michiu. Whisk until incorporated. The dark sauce stores covered in the fridge for up to a month.
Make the Mongolian Sauce
- Pour the dark sauce into a small pot and bring to a light simmer. Add 5 tablespoon of white sugar and whisk until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool before using. The Mongolian sauce also stores covered in the fridge for up to a month.
Brine the Beef
- Slice a 9 oz flank steak with the grain into 1.5-inch sections. Turn each section perpendicular and slice against the grain at a 30-40 degree angle into pieces about ⅛ inch thick. If the steak is hard to slice, freeze it for 20-30 minutes to firm it up.
- Combine 1 cup of water with ½ teaspoon of baking soda and stir until dissolved. Add ⅓ cup of soy sauce.
- Submerge the sliced beef in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours for the best results. Longer marination times improve both tenderness and flavor.
Velvet the Beef
- Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Drying the surface helps the velveting adhere.
- Add ½ egg white and ⅛ teaspoon of white pepper. Mix until all the pieces are evenly coated. Add 1 tablespoon of potato starch and massage it into the beef until all slices are covered. Stir in 1 teaspoon of neutral oil to finish.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Pass the Beef Through the Oil
- Heat several inches of neutral frying oil to 350°F.
- Working in batches, add the velveted beef and immediately agitate so the slices don't clump together. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the edges have browned.
- Remove the beef to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and drain. Set aside.
Blanch the Broccoli
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 8 oz of broccoli florets and cook for 1-2 minutes until tender but still slightly crunchy.
- Shock in a bowl of ice water for about 1 minute to stop the cooking. Drain thoroughly using a salad spinner or towels. Getting the water out is important because wet broccoli will thin out the sauce.
Final Stir-Fry
- Have everything measured and within reach before starting. This step takes about 2 minutes.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of neutral oil in a wok over medium to medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of reconstituted garlic, 2 teaspoon of minced ginger, and 1 tablespoon of sliced scallions. Cook for 10-20 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in 5 tablespoon of the Mongolian sauce and bring to a light simmer. Add the fried beef and toss in the sauce.
- Stir the cornstarch slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch + 2 teaspoon water) and drizzle it over the beef. Stir until the sauce thickens and coats the meat. Add the blanched broccoli and toss everything together.
- Kill the heat and drizzle in 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil. Toss to distribute and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Dehydrated Garlic: Reconstitute dehydrated minced garlic by covering it with warm water for 20-30 minutes, then drain and squeeze out the excess liquid. Fresh garlic burns at wok temperatures and the reconstituted kind doesn't, and the flavor is more even. Find it on the spice aisle. You can prepare it a few days in advance and store it in the fridge.
Soy Sauce: Lee Kum Kee Low Sodium Soy Sauce (green bottle) is what I use for both the marinade and the dark sauce. Kikkoman works too.
Oyster Sauce: Lee Kum Kee Panda Brand Oyster Sauce (green bottle) is what I use here. Lee Kum Kee's Premium Oyster Sauce is a higher-quality option if you can find it.
Rice Wine: Michiu rice cooking wine is what I use. Shaoxing cooking wine is a widely available substitute that works in this recipe.
Marinating Time: The alkaline soy marinade needs at least 2 hours. A full 24 hours gives the most tender, flavorful beef. Refrigerate the entire time.
Alternative Cuts: If flank steak is unavailable or too expensive, hanger steak, skirt steak, flap meat, and chuck all work as substitutes. Any long-grained cut sliced thinly against the grain works well for stir-fry dishes. Give the substitute cut the full alkaline soy marinade treatment.
Potato Starch vs. Cornstarch: Potato starch is what I use for velveting. Cornstarch works as a substitute and performs similarly in this application.
Storing the Sauces: Both the dark sauce and Mongolian sauce store covered in the refrigerator for up to one month. Making a batch of dark sauce ahead of time gives you a head start on other P.F. Chang's recipes.
Nutrition
Calories: 450kcal