I’d run across a new recipe a couple of weeks ago at The Pioneer Woman that looked like it was worth a try. Like the title says, there was beef and broccoli happiness tonight.

When you cook, don’t be afraid to make things your own. I used frozen broccoli instead of fresh – steamed it about 4 minutes before adding it at the end. I also put finely diced red onion and slivers of ginger root in with the garlic. Finally, my stir fry mixture, instead of oyster sauce, rice wine, and Chinese vinegar was Thai fish sauce, red wine, and balsamic vinegar.

There are two bits of magic to this recipe. One is the tangy fish sauce/wine/vinegar mixture above. The real star is the soy sauce and cornstarch marinade for the beef. I only did about 15 minutes worth, but it’s that evenly distributed cornstarch that makes the thick gravy for the dish when the tangy sauce is added. Beats the heck out of managing a lumpy cornstarch mixture at the end of a recipe.

I also used a sirloin, well-trimmed and thinly sliced, instead of the flank steak. It was a respectable substitute.

Shoot. I ought to be doing pictures or something. Now all I’d have to offer is a storage container with leftovers.

(Mmmm. Breakfast!)