So there I was…..in my kitchen….prepped with my cutting board and sharpened chef’s knife. As my knife came down and chopped the head of broccoli into two…..a familiar song popped into my head.
Dana Carvy’s” Choppin Broccoli”
Sing it with me now!!!!!
“And my lady, she went downtown
She bought some ber-ra-ccoli
She Brought it Ho-ome……………….
She’s chop’in broccoli
Chop’in brocco-li
Chop’in brocco-la
Chop’in Brocco-laa-aa
SHE’S CHOP’IN BROCCO-LAY
CHOP’IN BROCCO-LAY
SHE’S CHOP-EAH-UN!
Chop’in brocco-loco -lay -eaa -eaa -eaa–eeee
She’s chopin broccoli
she chopin she chopin she chopin she chopin she chopin
ch ch ch ch ch ch ta ta ta ta the bra-co-li-i
She’s chopin Brrrrraaaaiiiii
She’s chop she’s chop broccoli
She’s chopin Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee”
To this day I can never chop up broccoli with a straight face…..or without thinking about Dana Cavery. Party on broccoli choppers…party one. SWING!
Butt seriously…..this meal was crazy good. I’ve had (and made) some delicious meals in my day but this meal ranks in my top 5 favorite dinners of all time. It’s like throwing a flavor party in your mouth. All the ingredients meld together and get “jiggy with it” leaving you craving more of the good dinner times. Disclaimer…I may or may not have had a glass of wine while writing this post. It’s Christmas Eve Eve….so why not celebrate and get silly??
This dish is tastes good with all sorts of proteins and veggies, you can really use this meal as a vehicle for any leftovers you have camping out in your refrigerator. Note, I cooked the steak, broccoli, and mushrooms separately, to make sure each ingredient was caramelized, to maximize flavor, but if you’re in a rush, cook the steak first and put it on a plate to rest while you cook everything else. Throw all the veggies into the pan, and once everything is cooked to the tenderness you desire, add the steak back into the skillet. Last, add your sauce and noodles, toss everything which way and that, and voila, you have an even quicker and easier meal!
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
- ½ teaspoon Sirarach hot sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 8 oz Soba noodles (regular spagetthi noodles work great too), cooked according to the package, drained.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 8.5 oz sirloin tip, sliced into thin pieces across the grain
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small head of broccoli, cut into small florets
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- Juice from ½ a lemon (optional)
- Cilantro for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Whisk all the sauce ingredients together into a small bowl and set aside until needed.
- Cook the noodles according to the manufactures directions, drain.
- Season the thinly sliced beef generously with salt and pepper (Lawry's seasoning salt works great too)
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- Add the steak in a single layer and make sure the pieces do NOT touch. Cook the steak the batches if your pan isn't big enough. Cook the steak 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the steak and put it on a plate, set aside.
- Add a little more vegetable oil (if necessary) then add the broccoli florets to the skillet. Cook the broccoli until the florets start to get tender and blacken a little bit around the edges, approx 5-6 minutes. Remove the florets and add them to the same plate of the resting steak.
- Turn the heat down to medium-high. Add a little more vegetable oil (if necessary) and now add the mushrooms in a single layer (it's OK if the mushrooms touch and overlap) into the skillet. Cook the mushrooms WITHOUT stirring, for approx 6-7 minutes. When the mushrooms are nicely browned aka caramelized, stir the mushrooms and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the carrot and red pepper and cook until the carrots starts to get tender, approx 5-6 minutes.
- Now add the broccoli and steak back into the skillet, and stir everything together.
- Finally, add the noodles, and pour in the sauce, and gently toss the ingredients until everything is well combined.
- Taste the dish for salt and pepper. I recommend adding juice from ½ a lemon BEFORE you add additional salt. Lemon has a wonderful capability of "waking up" and brightening up a dish. You may find adding lemon juice will be just the thing the dish is missing, before you add additional salt.
- Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
Leave a Reply