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This Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry is infused with light and citrusy lemongrass and lime, and pops of chilli, for a quick and fresh weeknight dinner.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry - This Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry is infused with light and citrusy lemongrass and lime, and pops of chilli, for a quick and fresh weeknight dinner.

This isn’t your traditional stir fry, because we are really only stir frying the beef. The rest of the greens are quickly cooked in boiling water so they are tender and fresh.

The beef is so easy to cook, and so tasty. We’ll start by marinating it in lime juice, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, peanut oil and green onions, and this will give us a beautifully tangy flavour and crispy texture. This contrasts perfectly with the freshness of our broccoli, snow peas, coriander and chilli. We’ll serve it on a bed of rice for a really delicious and perfectly balanced weeknight dinner.

If you are looking for some other stir fries, you could always try our Dan Dan Noodles, or our Sesame Stir Fry noodles.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry Ingredients

Lime
Garlic
Lemongrass (stalk preferred but paste is okay too)
Green onion
Fish sauce
Peanut oil
Diced beef
Snow peas
Broccoli
Coriander
Long red chilli (opt.)
Microwave rice (Jasmine white or brown)

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Prep and slice garlic, lemongrass and green onion. Zest and juice lime into a bowl.

1. Peel and mince garlic. Discard about 2 cm from the base of the lemongrass, cut in half lengthwise, and then discard the tough outer layers. Finely slice the tender inside part of the lemongrass. Trim and finely slice green onion. Zest and juice lime into a large bowl.

2 cloves garlic
1 stalk of lemongrass
⅓ bunch green onion
2 limes

Add fish sauce and peanut oil to the bowl. Set aside half in a jar for the dressing. Add garlic, green onion and lemongrass to the bowl.

2. Add fish sauce and peanut oil to the bowl. Stir well, then pour half into a jar or small container and set aside for our dressing. Add garlic, green onion and lemongrass to the remaining mixture in the bowl for our marinade.

2 tablespoon fish sauce
60ml peanut oil
2 cloves garlic
⅓ bunch green onion
1 stalk of lemongrass

3. Add the beef to the bowl with the marinade and mix to coat. Set aside at room temperature.

500g diced beef

Place a saucepan of water on the stove to boil.

4. Place a medium saucepan of water on the stove to boil.

Prep and slice snow peas, broccoli, coriander and red chilli.

5. Top and tail snow peas, and chop broccoli into small florets, and then slice stem into thin pieces. Roughly chop coriander. De-seed and finely slice red chilli (optional - try to do it on a different chopping board so as to not make your child’s food too spicy).

200g snow peas
1 medium broccoli
½ bunch coriander
1 long red chilli (opt.)

Add snow peas and broccoli to boiling water to cook.

6. Add snow peas and broccoli to boiling water and cook for just a minute or two, until bright green, then drain. Meanwhile, microwave rice.

200g snow peas
1 medium broccoli
450g microwave rice

Place beef in a single layer in a frying pan on high heat.

7. Place a grill pan or frying pan on high heat. Once hot, add the beef in a single layer (you might have to do it in two batches). Allow to sear on one side for 30 seconds, then stir fry for a minute or two, until seared all over. Be careful not to overcook.

TIP: It is very important to not overcrowd your pan - only cook in a single layer, or it will cool the temperature of the pan too much, making the beef tough.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry - Serve microwave rice and veggies on a serving dish and pour over dressing. Top with coriander, beef and chilli.

8. Serve kids their portion of microwave rice and veggies, and slice their portion of beef into fingers.

To serve adults, place microwave rice and veggies on a serving dish. Stir dressing then pour over. Top with coriander, beef and chilli (if using).

½ bunch coriander
1 long red chilli (opt.)

Substitutions

Alternative proteins - Swap diced beef for diced chicken, for a fresh alternative.
Vegetarian - Swap beef for drained black beans. Use vegetarian fish sauce.
Dairy Free - This recipe is dairy free.
Gluten Free - This recipe is gluten free.

Kid-Friendly Variations

Option to serve beef sliced into fingers, alongside plain rice and green veggies.
Skip the chilli, coriander and dressing.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry - Serve beef sliced into fingers, alongside plain rice and green veggies. Skip the chilli, coriander and dressing.

Equipment

You will need a saucepan, a stovetop, a microwave, a grill pan or a frying pan.

Top tip

Tender beef is key to this recipe, and here are a few ways to ensure your beef comes out perfectly. Firstly, make sure your frying pan or grill pan is piping hot. We want a good sear on the outside, and tender beef on the inside. Because diced beef is usually about 2 cm cubed, it really doesn’t take long to cook. Just let it sear on one side for about 30 seconds, then stir fry for another minute or two until browned all over. Secondly, don’t overcrowd your pan - if you do it will cool the temperature of the pan and the beef will stew instead of sear - and that’ll mean tough beef.

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