Easy Meal
- Carbohydrate 57.354013387275 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 14.3183333526558 g
- Fiber 5.33280001132974 g
- Protein 8.73781335784668 g
- Saturated Fat 1.09453325153508 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (474g)
- Sodium 31.5693333925486 mg
- Sugar 52.0212133759453 g
- Trans Fat 0.484444251117989 g
- Calories 366 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add ginger and garlic and let sizzle for 30 seconds, then add soy sauce. Gradually add the brown sugar and let it dissolve while stirring. Let the sauce come to a boil, then simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cut the flank steak into thin strips against the grain. (Tip: Meat is easier to slice when it’s partially frozen. It will thaw quickly after sliced too!) Place meat and corn starch in a bag and shake to coat the meat. Let meat sit for 10 minutes, so the cornstarch sticks to the meat.
- Put 1/2 c. vegetable oil in a wok/ skillet and heat on medium-high until hot. Add the meat to the wok and brown for about 4-5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain.
- Clean the pan out and return meat to pan and cook on high for about 2 more minutes. Add the sauce to the pan and cook for another minute. Add the green onions or broccoli and cook for 1 minute longer.
- Remove from heat and serve with rice.
Flank steak requires a deliberate physical transformation to withstand high-heat pan-frying without turning rubbery. Slicing beef across the muscle fibers shortens the protein strands, creating a naturally tender bite. Freezing the cut for twenty minutes beforehand stiffens the tissue just enough to yield uniform quarter-inch strips. Tossing those strips in cornstarch creates a protective carbohydrate barrier. This starch layer absorbs moisture from the surface of the meat and forms a crisp crust when it hits hot oil. Without this dry coating, the beef would steam in its own juices rather than brown.
Managing Moisture and Heat Control
Stir-frying relies entirely on rapid thermal transfer. A crowded skillet drops in temperature and releases accumulated liquid, boiling the protein instead of searing it. Frying the coated beef in batches ensures the oil stays around 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Drain the fried meat on paper towels to eliminate excess surface grease before returning it to the pan. Broccoli florets demand separate handling. Steaming them beforehand prevents the watery vegetables from diluting the reduction sauce. Combining the components rapidly at the very end locks in texture.
- If the sauce fails to thicken, check the cornstarch ratio; excess liquid often requires an extra minute of boiling to activate the starch polymers.
- Soft beef usually results from damp meat going straight into cold oil; always pat the protein dry and wait for shimmering ripples in the fat before adding food.
- Dark brown sugar burns quickly above medium-high heat, so monitor the simmer closely during the initial sauce preparation.
