Monday is soccer practice, so I have to hit the ground running when we walk in the door around 6:30 if I want the kids to eat the dinner I prepare (instead of filling up on whatever snacks they can come up with while I'm busy). Yesterday before practice, I sliced and marinated the beef and blanched the broccoli. I even set out a skillet with some canola oil in the bottom. It paid off, too, because my husband beat us home and he finished making dinner. It means I didn't get any pictures of the process, but we did get to eat at a decent time.
This was adapted from a recipe on Simply Recipes. Before practice, I sliced almost a pound of sirloin steak into thin slices against the grain. I put them in a bowl, then mixed in 1 teaspoon each soy sauce and rice vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch and a few grinds of black pepper. I covered the bowl and put it in the fridge to marinate. Then I cut the broccoli into small florets and trimmed and peeled the stems. I filled a deep skillet with water and brought it to a boil. Then I added salt and the broccoli to the water. Boiled for 2 minutes, then drained in a colander.
When we were ready to eat, about 2 hours later, my husband heated canola oil in the same deep skillet. (You don't have to do the above 2 hours ahead, but you can.) When the oil was really hot, he added the beef, laying the pieces flat in a single layer. Once they were browned on one side, he stirred them and cooked until the beef was done. We had to drain off some moisture, then added the broccoli and a sauce: 1 tablespoon hoisin, 1 teaspoon each rice vinegar and soy sauce and water to thin to the desired consistency. Poured that in and heated through, then served with white rice that I reheated in the microwave.
Stir fries are so quick and versatile. Check out this tutorial: