beef and broccoli — United States

This dish pairs thin-sliced beef, marinated and stir-fried, with broccoli florets in a savory brown sauce built from soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic and ginger, thickened with cornstarch to a glossy coating. The beef is usually flank steak or a similarly lean cut, chosen for how well it takes on the marinade and sears quickly. It is a staple of Chinese-American takeout menus across the United States, alongside dishes like General Tso's chicken, though its technique traces back to Cantonese stir-frying, adapted to American tastes and ingredient availability. Many households also cook a home version on weeknights, valued for being quick to prepare with a short shopping list. Preparation involves slicing the beef thin against the grain and marinating it in soy sauce and cornstarch, a technique called velveting that keeps the meat tender under high heat, then searing it quickly in a hot wok and setting it aside. The broccoli is blanched or stir-fried separately, the sauce is reduced in the same wok, and the beef is returned so everything is tossed together over high heat for a final minute. What sets this version apart is a sauce that runs sweeter and milder than many mainland Chinese counterparts, and the use of Western broccoli rather than Chinese broccoli (gai lan), reflecting substitutions common in American Chinese kitchens; it is almost always plated over plain steamed rice rather than noodles.