What do I love most about dairy-free living? All of the wonderful naturally dairy-free dishes. Asian-style food is actually my favorite type of cuisine, and always has been. And I do love trying new dishes, but I always go back to beef and broccoli. It’s was one of our staples when we ate out more frequently at Chinese restaurants. So we could enjoy it at home, I searched for a restaurant-style recipe, and eventually landed on this one. It is delicious, and the closest I have found thus far. It makes quite a bit of sauce, so you can halve the sauce if you are low on ingredients.
Restaurant-Style Beef & Broccoli without Dairy, Gluten, Nuts, or Soy
Unlike most Chinese stir fry recipes, this one doesn’t use soy sauce! The base flavor is made with oyster sauce, which does gain it’s deep, umami flavor from oyster. It is possible that any brand could contain any allergen, but at my local stores, all oyster sauce brands are already dairy, nut, sesame, and soy-free. Some brands of oyster sauce do contain gluten but there are gluten-free brands, like Wok Mei or Lee Kum Kee’s Gluten-Free.
As mentioned in the recipe, this is a very flexible dish. You can substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand. I’ve been known to substitute bok choy for the broccoli, julienned carrot for the bell pepper, yellow onion for the green onion (but I cook it with the garlic and ginger), and sometimes I just throw mushrooms in … just because.
Special Diet Notes: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, nut-free, optionally peanut-free, and optionally soy-free. See the post above for ingredient notes.
- 1 pound flank steak, partially frozen
- ½ cup oyster sauce (see post above for gluten-free options)
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tablespoons mirin or cooking sherry
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch or non-GMO cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil or your favorite high heat cooking oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienned
- ½ cup diagonally sliced green onions
- 3 cups cooked white or brown rice
- Cut the partially frozen flank steak across the grain to make very thin 2x1-inch strips.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oyster sauce, water, mirin and starch until the starch is dissolved. Whisk in the crushed red pepper flakes.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the beef and stir-fry until browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
- Heat the same skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Turn the heat to high, add the bell pepper and green onion, and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the beef. Give the sauce a quick whisk and add it to the skillet. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Serve over brown or white rice.
Key Pantry Supplies: Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
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