Beef and Broccoli with Black Bean Sauce

Original recipe from Fine Cooking magazine.

One nice feature of this recipe is that it is heavy on the vegetables: more broccoli than most.

• 3/4 lb skirt or flank steak, sliced across the grain 1/4 inch thick
• 1 Tbs. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 small clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

Combine the steak, soy sauce, and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.

• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted in 1 cup boiling water for 20 minutes
• 1/4 cup (4 tbs) black bean garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee brand)
• 2 Tbs. Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch
• 2 tsp. Asian chile sauce or paste (I use Sriracha sauce.)

Drain the mushrooms, reserving 2/3 cup of the soaking liquid. Discard the stems and thinly slice the caps. In a small bowl, combine the reserved mushroom soaking liquid and the black bean sauce, wine, cornstarch, and chile sauce. Stir to dissolve the cornstarch and set aside.

• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil

Heat 1 Tbs. of the vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add the beef and its marinade, and stir-fry until the meat is just browned, 45 to 50 seconds. Transfer the beef to a small bowl.

Wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining 1 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat.

• 4 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 lb. broccoli, crowns cut into florets, stems peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup water

Add the ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, 15 seconds. Add the broccoli and 1/4 cup water, cover, and steam until the broccoli is just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the black bean sauce mixture, the stir-fried beef and the mushrooms and cook until the sauce is thick and bubbly, about 1 minute.

• 1/2 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped (optional)

Add the cashews and toss to combine.