Love the Kenji callout. I find that the best food tubers are eager to give credit where it's due, while adding their own tweaks to make recipes their own. As a result, UA-cam is now a treasure trove of great tested recipes within the technique videos home cooks need in order to get better. Nice job as always to the B-Man!
Kenji Lopez-Alt, Chef John, and Laura Vitale are the holy trinity of og youtube recipes. Better than the tv chefs. Shout out to Babish for name dropping them on his journey to being a youtube chef.
Honestly, today if you make a cooking video that isn't "My Aunt Grandma's Biscuit Explosion" you probably should link back to Kenji. KLA has done more for home cooking than every chef since Julia.
My favorite part of almost every video Brian does is that each recipe has multiple components, each of which I can learn from and apply to other recipes. Velveting, stir fry sauce, stir fry cooking technique - all of them are things I can keep in mind when when I'm not specifically making beef and broccoli. Great stuff.
Same! I really got into cooking at the beginning of this year (side note, Brian's channel was sub-400K at that point, wild to see it nearly doubling in just a few months!), and while it's great to have these set recipes to try, it's been even better to get the technique breakdown/explanation during the video rather than "Just do this, trust me!" In just a year I feel so much more creative and confident going off on my own in the kitchen and thinking up/preparing dishes myself, and this channel has been a huge part of that!
Same thoughts, I'm here for the lessons, and there were some excellent ones in this. I learn very well from Brian, and I REALLY needed to see this done. Alll of this learning crosses over to other dishes and recipes. So helpful to know WHY. Thank You for posting !
The biggest tip/take away here is definitely don't overcrowd the pan with the initial cook! Have to work with the size of wok you have and this was a perfect example of that for the home cook! Great recipe as always.
Tried this one TODAY and I have to say that it is the closest to that take out flavor that I have been able to achieve in my whole 10 years of cooking (41 year old male here). Those little techniques that Bri shares make a world of difference!
Very nice! And good for the shout out for Kenji - only discovered his channel a couple of months ago and he has a unique and wonderful style of presenting great food prepared without over-complicating it. You are very good at doing that yourself! I've cooked from scratch for decades but I'm always looking for ideas so thank you for your inspirations. What I think is really important is that you are adding to the vast array of content on the internet that encourages newbies or people who want (or financially need) to get away from packaged food to cook from scratch.
Made this for dinner tonight and it came out sooo good. Added some crushed chili flakes to spice it up a bit, was so delicious. Beef was tender, sauce tasted authentic, and it came together super quick.
Velveting is such an incredible technique. It works so well. Every time I do it, I am amazed just how tender it gets. Not like this though. I marinade the meat in an eggwhite and corn starch mix, and let it sit for hours. Then I boil the meat for like 30 seconds and its ready for the work. Never had meat that tender before.
Thanks for the great take-out style beef and broccolini. I don’t have a wok style pan but I think I can still make it in a deeper pan. I love this particular dish. I also like the step by step instructions, I can recall most but still need the weights mice started using my scale far more often. Great recipes. As I said I watch your channel, Chef Jean Pierre and Jim at Sip and feast. I’ve cooked so many of your collective recipes. 🇨🇦
Brian- Watched many of your videos and got the courage to try to follow one. My wife makes the dinners, as I only handle the grilling. After watching this video a few times, I decided to try it. You were the Only cook who added the aromatics Last, wiped out the Woc after cooking the Beef, and the Only one who said to cook the beef in batches. It was the Best Beef Broccoli we have Ever had. Thank you!
Made this last night in large batch for meal prep. Absolutely delicious! My wife couldn't believe how good it was. @BrianLagerstrom more Wok recipes please!!!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome! Almost smoked us out of the house using the wok, but totally worth it. I doubled the sauce recipe too because we like extra sauce for our rice. Will 100% be making this again!
When I make this at home I tend to do the veggies first so I don't have to sacrifice the fond from the beef. It's probably a small difference, but always made sense to me. I would also recommend like 20-30 seconds of re-heating your empty wok between batches. Finally, a butane burner is cheap and gets hotter than even a gas stove, so I use mine and do my stir frying outside to avoid the smoke issue.
I made this last night and it was awesome. I added mushrooms because I think everything needs mushrooms, and I'd ended up with a little less meat than called for. Making sure to heat the wok back up to 400-500° each time made a huge difference, definitely got some of that stir-fry flavor in there (and also made my 600CFM range hood earn its keep).
I had that same thought about mushrooms….surprised your comment didn’t get more likes. Also - that thing about waiting for your pan to come back to temperature is a key tip as well.
I have been struggling with beef getting watery in the wok. It had occurred to me that the heat I have was just not enough for the amount of beef I have. Somehow I just never tried to batch them and you definitely inspired me that way. Thank you for including all the details of your methods!
Alkaline additions to meat also speed up the maillard process, increasing browning when the meat might otherwise look steamed. Good example is pretzels which get a deep color when baking thanks to lye.
I made this recipe today for my wife, and we both loved it! We used our calphalon wok and it worked perfectly. I also made some kimchi fried rice for myself. That marinading step was so key! Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Made this last night and it was excellent. Lots of flavor, very tender beef. Will be making it again many times in the future. I have Kenji's wok book but haven't made his version yet, so will be interesting to compare. I do take umbrage with saying "in 15 minutes." When you include the prep time, which is not insignificant for the home chef, making this took considerably longer than 15 minutes. This is one of my biggest pet peeves with recipes: claims that you'll have this dish ready "in 15 minutes!" or, more often, "in 30 minutes!" Or they'll say something like "Total Time: 1 Hour" without factoring in a single second of prep time. Obviously, as the developer of a recipe, you can't know exactly how long it will take someone to prep the ingredients. But you can estimate, and that should be factored into any claims about the time it takes to make a recipe. Personally, were I someone who developed and shared recipes, I'd never make the claim that you can have a dish "in 15 minutes" unless the average chef can achieve it, start to finish, in that amount of time. Just a suggestion. Again, great recipe.
15 minutes is just clickbait. In this video alone he says to leave it for 10 minutes, then 4 rounds of "60-90 seconds" then another minute at the end. That includes 0 prep time, which even with the cuts in this video take over 7 minutes and would take someone around 15-20. Its a joke.
I initially felt that way making it for the first time tonight, but I think if this was in my rotation enough and I didn't need to refer to the recipe anymore, it probably could be done in 15-20m! Then again, I have someone willing to help me make the prep go by quicker, 😅 so maybe I'm being generous.
It's def a pet pieve of mine as well. I only found A SINGLE UA-camR describe a system that makes those times accurate. If you are planning your meals then the advice is to prep your vegetables and meat as soon as you come back from the grocery store. Cut all your vegetables, season and prep any meat and keep any bottles and seasoning close by so you aren't looking for anything come cook time. It's the best way to prep weekend meals like this or for week long meal prep! ua-cam.com/video/jLQZOdWfIWQ/v-deo.html
Everything you make is fabulous Brian. You're such a fantastic presenter and chef. I have made a dozen or so of your recipes so far and they are delicious. This beef recipe is next.
For velveting, in particular if you are someone that gets the metal taste from baking soda, just separate it into two steps. Baking soda + Water soak for ~15 minutes then RINSE IT. Then the marinade. For tougher cuts of meat you can actually double velvet (Baking soda + water soak for ~15 minutes, then RINSE IT, Baking soda + water soak for ~15 minutes then RINSE IT. Then Marinade). Either way rinsing it after velveting will remove the metal taste if that is an issue. So if you give this a shot and find there is a metal taste, don't give up on the recipe or the technique, you probably just need to separate the velveting and marinade portion. Of course if you don't notice the taste of the baking soda, don't mind it, or just want to save yourself the 15/30 minutes of velveting separate, then 100% combine it with the marinade and it will still taste great. If I was cooking for myself and wife on a weeknight after work I would combine velveting and marinade, if I was cooking for friends or other family as well I would separate it. Regardless velveting is nearly fool proof, and it makes a MASSIVE difference for stir fries (also works great for other meats besides beef, chicken will literally melt in your mouth).
Wow OMG. I just made this. Even whipped out my super heavy wok from the 90s for it. Was so worth it! Might me my fav recipe of yours so far. I swapped the Flanksteak for minced beef, added some red bell pepper and a generous splash of sambal oelek for some heat. And voila!! The most delicious Pad Kra Pao - but with veggies. So hearty, juicy and savoury. This is gonna be my new staple weeknight dish for at least once a week!
Growing up with Wok cooking I applause you for doing it right. And it's refrashing to hear you break the technique down into simple English, where if you ask my mom and any Chinese line cook to describe their technique it would sounds like wizardry.
I can't stop with the wok either. This is a great video that will save people time. Took me awhile to figure out each of these things one by one. Use baking soda, get the temp and times right in the wok, proper sized batches, de-glazing, etc. All covered here and easy to follow.
Great job, again! This definitely is making me think differently about getting a carbon steel wok. One thing that would be helpful (although I haven't gone through all the comments, so it may be in there) would be a description of all the different sauces/condiments in that little box you pulled out of your pantry.
Same - found it to be one of the most versatile pieces of cooking equipment in the kitchen. Stir fries, frying things in oil, boiling water for noodles etc. Also easier to toss without getting shit all over your stove/countertops.
I do a lot of wok cooking and when I say a lot I mean at least twice a week for the past several years. I have found you get a much better end result when cooking in a wok. I learned my technique from an old Chinese woman in the north west burbs of Chicago. I think you did a great explanation of something I could never articulate about wok cooking. Thank you and as mostly. Another great video.
I really enjoy how you translate difficult concepts and terms into language that is easier to understand for lay people. I am not good at browning and tend to "grey meat and limp vegetables". When I use your recipes I have you on while cooking and constantly reference the video as I go along. Thanks a lot for the video.
Welcome to the wok cooking club. I bought my carbon steel wok in about 1985 and I still use it at least once a week. I also bought a Camp Chef outdoor stove specifically for cooking in my wok. The burners put out 35,000 BTUs which is still a far cry from what a chinese restaurant wok station puts out, but it is 3 times the heat that many home stoves put out. It's hot enough to get a good char on my rice noodles when I make Pad See Eew.
I just learned the baking soda trick last month. Has totally changed how I cook meat now. The way I learned was to soak the meat in baking soda and water for like 25 minutes up to 2 hours, depending on the type of meat. Chicken stays really tender and not dried out. Even after a day in the refrigerator, it stays tender. So glad I learned the trick.
Made this tonight, am having it for dinner as I type this. I used a cast iron deep skillet and I feel it has plenty of flavor - I was checking the skillet temp and it was an average of 350 degrees…I also didn’t find my kitchen got that smoky at all - beef is nice and tender. Thanks Brian!
I love this! I’ve been reading the wok by Kenji too. When you started cooking the meat in 2 batches, I actually thought to myself that you might have read the wok too. Lol
Dude, as a single guy, I LOVE my wok!! It doubles as a shallow fryer, deep fryer, and just plain old searing or cooking a Sunday "breakfast skillet" with eggs, sausage, taters, etc... I want to get one like you have!! Have a great weekend!!
Thanks for the good simple recipe. A couple of points from my experience with Chinese cooking sites. The cornstarch in the marinade is used for velveting and gives the meat a velvet-like surface. The baking soda is added to tenderize the meat.
I've got a ceramic cook surface so I can't do the "wok thing" where you bang the pan around on the eye as you stir. BUT - for anyone reading this, a wok is still better than a normal fry pan for one very important reason. The much higher sides mean much less grease splatter all over the stove, which means much less trouble cleaning up. I haven't done the high heat trick before, but I'm going to try it when I have a go at this recipe. Good stuff as always, Brian. 👍
omg!! That's crazy!!! The beef gunk is the fond, it's where so much flavour is, you put water in, scratch it off and then reserve that to put back in the dish, you just threw away SO MUCH depth and flavour!!
I don’t believe you use the fond with high heat stir fry as it will burn before you add any sauce to deglaze the pan since the sauce comes last traditionally. The fond needs to be removed and actually wouldn’t even be there if the wok is well seasoned and the heat is high enough. Cooking with Lau discusses this in some of Daddy Lau's videos.
Super high heat but super short cooking time, I certainly get some meaty happiness from my pan doing this recipe. Maybe my heat isn't high enough..@@carolynea
Made this for dinner tonight: Amazing!! Honestly one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. I bought a 16” carbon steel wok a couple of days ago and it was totally an impulse purchase-starting to think it was the best impulse purchase I’ve ever made. Crazy how high heat makes the flavors so much bolder. Much respect to the mighty wok!
so glad that you finally got a wok. I've had a couple since I was in my early 20's. my round bottom is my favorite. they are also the best for making popcorn. you need to get some tools that are specifically made to use with your wok. this makes the world of a difference.
I learned about velveting a couple of years ago, and when I tried it I was impressed. It's more effective than only coating the meat in starch and marinating it.
Thanks! I'm really appreciating your info video. It's very informative and easy enough to follow. For a long time I couldn't find techniques on how to attain that smokey flavor. But, thanks to your video I can make it now. Great video!
to further add to the point about cooking similar things when you dont have a gas stove or suitable wok. you can still get great results on electric stoves and regular pans, just ensure to cook in small batches. it will take longer, but if you just throw everything in it will heat up, release liquid and then steam/boil. if you throw half in the heat will remain and things can actually sear.
Digging this recipe! Been using a wok at home for ages, they’re amazing. To be fair, just go to an Asian supermarket and by a wok from there for $15. Only thing is you need to maintain it properly or else it rusts.
Perfect timing for this vid! I’m moving to a small town with no good Asian. New cooktop has a higher BTU burner and I added a commercial grade vent. The next step is a wok and cookbook. Thanks Bri!
Did a test run of this for lunch today. Awesome!!!! Going into the rotation for sure. I'd like to make it a bit less salty and I'm wondering where the best place to reduce soy sauce would be or what would be the best way to make it a bit less salty?
Hey, Bri! I absolutely am hooked on your videos. I knew it on the first one I watched. It was your Chicago (Shi-cah-gah) Italian (eye-tayl-in) Beef Sandwich vid. As a Chicago boy and beef aficionado I was blown away. I was searching for giardineire recipes and yours is it! I’m also glad you discovered the classic wok to use for stir frying. I have had one for years. Also the book by J. Kenji López-Alt. Very in depth and a classic. Good call!
yup. woks are awesome because the base matches the typical stove diameter. simple as that. so it captures the heat like any other pan, but with tall sloped sides for maneuvering
Made this twice now, delicious both times. It’s going into the regular rotation along with the Thai basil stir fry. Enjoyed learning the velveting technique, it works! Thank you!
I just made this today and everyone loved it! So much better than anything I've had from takeout restaurants! Thank you for this simple yet delicious recipe!
holy shit i've been subscribed since this guy was called Weeds and Sardines with 20K subs. i'm so happy to see Brian has nearly 800K subs now!! Congratulations!!!
I like how you explained the benefits and the difference in using a wok, so concise. I could never get my friends and fam to understand how it works cos they always thoughts that it is a lengthy process when it is quite the opposite 😂 and its nice to see someone elses perspective on "wok hey" without having to read subtitles to get it 😅
I was the same way for a long time. I resisted Woks. I had Wokphobia. The seasoning and care, the size, and the perceived "unitasker" status made it easy to write off. Then, I started cooking a lot of Asian food and tried out a Taiwanese Carbon Steel Wok and was *HOOKED!* Immediately. It's much more versatile that I assumed, it's such a unique cooking medium compared to a frying pan, and it just makes cooking certain foods easier and more fun for me. Woks for the win, my Bri-Guy. 😁
Made it Substituted the sugar for maple syrup And baking soda for soda water And white wine for a splash of apple cider vinegar.. because I didn’t have the other options lol. It was… PHENOMENAL. 🎉 Damn. Just finished eating and my bf is contemplating proposing to me tonight. Thanks 😜
Gorgeous recipe and loved that you used broccolini instead of that horrid tree like stuff used at the restaurants. Chinese broccoli is also fantastic if available or even broccoli rabe (rapini) is surprisingly good as well. Which is usually available at most local groceries (except Walmart, Aldi, Save A Lot, etc.) or Italian import stores. Thanks for the recipe and you did a great job Bri ! 😋🤤😋
Looks super tasty, I will try this out once I have my outdoors wok station ready since I have no kitchen ventilator. But I have to say a tiny bit of me died inside when you scooped up that flavour goodness or gunk...
As I'm just cooking for one, I tend to use a wok for everything: steaks, burgers, eggs, stirfrys - just about anything that's not tomato-based. Great recipe. And of course, Kenji is our lord and saviour.
in my cast iron this worked just wonderful! Better than the takeaways close by! I had a variation of it today: garlic sticks, red bell pepper and chicken marinated. Ooohh, this was so darn delicious man, i tell you. i wanna go on with chinese kitchen but don't know where exactly to go. Chinas got so many fantastic kitchens, i think i want to try sezhuan kitchen next.
we made this last night. I used a propane burner used for a deep fryer. I knew it would work great with a wok because it's like a jet stream. The food was very good. Next time I will use more garlic and extra sugar. I don't think I measured correctly.
I make this all the time. And…of course your way is much better. I always use sirloin because I think it’s more tender. Can’t wait to make it this way! Thanks Brian.
Nice shout out to @JKenjiLopezAlt! I bought that book on pre-order and have been so happy with it since! Started exploring Chinese cooking about five years ago, but The Wok seriously upped my game! Highly recommend!
Great breakdown and recipe. I do something similar, except the choice of oil. I'd recommend Avocado oil over high smoke point partially hydrogenated oils for a healthier option.
OMG baking soda trick, did not know at all but its delicious, meat turned out super tender, thank you my first time stir fry, now definitely want to get a wok
the cooking wine has salt in it to avoid alcahol tax, you can get non salted chinese rice wines, but they meant for drinking and can be hard to get and heckspensive
Brian, you are a life saver for a Chicago girl that has moved to the rural south (AKA wasteland of terrible food). I have always been a decent cook and enjoyed cooking, but I've had to learn how to make so many things that I would have otherwise eaten out. I just finally mastered fried rice, so this is up next to add to that. Baking soda is the absolute key to the meats. Also, I LOVE the Asian tote. ALSO woks are amazing and there just is no other way to do it.
Pretty refreshing that you don’t shy away from the fact that this is going to be super smoky and maybe a different recipe would be better. Whatever genius designed my kitchen didn’t account for a vent hood to the outside so it’s slow cooker beef and broccoli for me. Good, but not the same. Maybe I should get a propane burner and just use a wok outside.
Apparently in China you can drink the rice wine, as it doesn't have the added salt. They do this for the imported stuff so it can be sold as a grocery item. As far as I know the real is unavailable unless maybe carried by some specialty liquor stores. I've made 3x now, about to start 4th batch. Better than any takeout I've ever had. People at work who tried agreed. Thanks B!.
On many ranges, if you remove the diffuser from the burner, you'll get a super concentrated flame that's actually very conducive to cooking with a wok.
Kenji has also similarly convinced me to give wok cooking a try. Huge fan of Chinese cuisine and specifically Szechuan. But hot damn there is a lot of technique and a lot of ingredients which I don't fully understand. Culinary demigod had me in stitches
Another little useful cooking tip is if you don't have the rice wine, you can make about a cup to a cup and a quarter out of white vinegar and plain white sugar. About three quarters of a cup of white vinegar and 1/4 cup of white sugar. When you blend it together it tastes just like the Sherry. Just a little cooking suggestion we don't have something like that on hand.
Love the Kenji callout. I find that the best food tubers are eager to give credit where it's due, while adding their own tweaks to make recipes their own. As a result, UA-cam is now a treasure trove of great tested recipes within the technique videos home cooks need in order to get better. Nice job as always to the B-Man!
Kenji Lopez-Alt, Chef John, and Laura Vitale are the holy trinity of og youtube recipes. Better than the tv chefs. Shout out to Babish for name dropping them on his journey to being a youtube chef.
me too! Kenji is the man and i like that he gave him respect. Made me smile.
Chef John and Kenji are the ultimate OGs in the UA-cam cooking sphere and are incredibly talented and smart chefs. Love the homage.
Honestly, today if you make a cooking video that isn't "My Aunt Grandma's Biscuit Explosion" you probably should link back to Kenji. KLA has done more for home cooking than every chef since Julia.
@@buddhavskungfu true
My favorite part of almost every video Brian does is that each recipe has multiple components, each of which I can learn from and apply to other recipes. Velveting, stir fry sauce, stir fry cooking technique - all of them are things I can keep in mind when when I'm not specifically making beef and broccoli. Great stuff.
Personally, I’m a fan of the “Hey, what’s up.”
But yeah, he’s an excellent teacher.
Same! I really got into cooking at the beginning of this year (side note, Brian's channel was sub-400K at that point, wild to see it nearly doubling in just a few months!), and while it's great to have these set recipes to try, it's been even better to get the technique breakdown/explanation during the video rather than "Just do this, trust me!" In just a year I feel so much more creative and confident going off on my own in the kitchen and thinking up/preparing dishes myself, and this channel has been a huge part of that!
Fully agree! B rocks
@@baudolinotheliar Great vid! Sloppy Chef though.
Same thoughts, I'm here for the lessons, and there were some excellent ones in this.
I learn very well from Brian, and I REALLY needed to see this done.
Alll of this learning crosses over to other dishes and recipes.
So helpful to know WHY.
Thank You for posting !
The biggest tip/take away here is definitely don't overcrowd the pan with the initial cook! Have to work with the size of wok you have and this was a perfect example of that for the home cook! Great recipe as always.
Thanks for watching Ram
@@BrianLagerstrom Hey Bri - that's not a comment. It doesn't show that you read what Ram said so why bother.
@@julesl6910 Aren't you a smartass. People can do what they want.
@@julesl6910 Hey Jules - go away.
That's true for anything you stir fry. Don't crowd else your wok temperature will drop, and things get mushy.
Tried this one TODAY and I have to say that it is the closest to that take out flavor that I have been able to achieve in my whole 10 years of cooking (41 year old male here). Those little techniques that Bri shares make a world of difference!
The timing couldnt be better. I just bought my first wok yesterday and now you made this video. More wok videos please
Thanks! I plan on making a lot more wok vids
@@BrianLagerstrom you really are a natural teacher
Check out Souped Up Recipes for wok based recipes
@@mynameisfriday118 I like Mandy too. And Daddy Lau from Made with Lau
If you don’t end up liking your wok, try Yosukata..it’s a great wok!
Very nice! And good for the shout out for Kenji - only discovered his channel a couple of months ago and he has a unique and wonderful style of presenting great food prepared without over-complicating it. You are very good at doing that yourself! I've cooked from scratch for decades but I'm always looking for ideas so thank you for your inspirations. What I think is really important is that you are adding to the vast array of content on the internet that encourages newbies or people who want (or financially need) to get away from packaged food to cook from scratch.
Made this for dinner tonight and it came out sooo good.
Added some crushed chili flakes to spice it up a bit, was so delicious. Beef was tender, sauce tasted authentic, and it came together super quick.
Velveting is such an incredible technique. It works so well. Every time I do it, I am amazed just how tender it gets.
Not like this though. I marinade the meat in an eggwhite and corn starch mix, and let it sit for hours. Then I boil the meat for like 30 seconds and its ready for the work. Never had meat that tender before.
Thanks for the great take-out style beef and broccolini. I don’t have a wok style pan but I think I can still make it in a deeper pan. I love this particular dish. I also like the step by step instructions, I can recall most but still need the weights mice started using my scale far more often. Great recipes. As I said I watch your channel, Chef Jean Pierre and Jim at Sip and feast. I’ve cooked so many of your collective recipes. 🇨🇦
Brian-
Watched many of your videos and got the courage to try to follow one. My wife makes the dinners, as I only handle the grilling. After watching this video a few times, I decided to try it. You were the Only cook who added the aromatics Last, wiped out the Woc after cooking the Beef, and the Only one who said to cook the beef in batches. It was the Best Beef Broccoli we have Ever had. Thank you!
Made this last night in large batch for meal prep. Absolutely delicious! My wife couldn't believe how good it was. @BrianLagerstrom more Wok recipes please!!!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome! Almost smoked us out of the house using the wok, but totally worth it. I doubled the sauce recipe too because we like extra sauce for our rice. Will 100% be making this again!
When I make this at home I tend to do the veggies first so I don't have to sacrifice the fond from the beef. It's probably a small difference, but always made sense to me. I would also recommend like 20-30 seconds of re-heating your empty wok between batches. Finally, a butane burner is cheap and gets hotter than even a gas stove, so I use mine and do my stir frying outside to avoid the smoke issue.
I came here to say pretty much the same thing about the fond.
I smoke weed on my UA-cam channel as my career
Some people don't like the initial fond or burn it.
This is a great thought. I tried and the fond was a little burnt tasting for my likening.
Thanks!
I made this last night and it was awesome. I added mushrooms because I think everything needs mushrooms, and I'd ended up with a little less meat than called for. Making sure to heat the wok back up to 400-500° each time made a huge difference, definitely got some of that stir-fry flavor in there (and also made my 600CFM range hood earn its keep).
I had that same thought about mushrooms….surprised your comment didn’t get more likes. Also - that thing about waiting for your pan to come back to temperature is a key tip as well.
I have been struggling with beef getting watery in the wok. It had occurred to me that the heat I have was just not enough for the amount of beef I have. Somehow I just never tried to batch them and you definitely inspired me that way. Thank you for including all the details of your methods!
The explanation of how the baking soda affects the structure of the beef was very educational, thank you Brian.
Alkaline additions to meat also speed up the maillard process, increasing browning when the meat might otherwise look steamed. Good example is pretzels which get a deep color when baking thanks to lye.
I made this recipe today for my wife, and we both loved it! We used our calphalon wok and it worked perfectly. I also made some kimchi fried rice for myself. That marinading step was so key! Thank you for the amazing recipe!
I agree 💯 with in the marinating step!. That Baking soda made the meat so tender
Made this last night and it was excellent. Lots of flavor, very tender beef. Will be making it again many times in the future. I have Kenji's wok book but haven't made his version yet, so will be interesting to compare.
I do take umbrage with saying "in 15 minutes." When you include the prep time, which is not insignificant for the home chef, making this took considerably longer than 15 minutes. This is one of my biggest pet peeves with recipes: claims that you'll have this dish ready "in 15 minutes!" or, more often, "in 30 minutes!" Or they'll say something like "Total Time: 1 Hour" without factoring in a single second of prep time. Obviously, as the developer of a recipe, you can't know exactly how long it will take someone to prep the ingredients. But you can estimate, and that should be factored into any claims about the time it takes to make a recipe. Personally, were I someone who developed and shared recipes, I'd never make the claim that you can have a dish "in 15 minutes" unless the average chef can achieve it, start to finish, in that amount of time.
Just a suggestion. Again, great recipe.
📣 LOUDER FOR THE COOKS IN THE BACK! 😅
15 minutes is just clickbait. In this video alone he says to leave it for 10 minutes, then 4 rounds of "60-90 seconds" then another minute at the end. That includes 0 prep time, which even with the cuts in this video take over 7 minutes and would take someone around 15-20. Its a joke.
I initially felt that way making it for the first time tonight, but I think if this was in my rotation enough and I didn't need to refer to the recipe anymore, it probably could be done in 15-20m! Then again, I have someone willing to help me make the prep go by quicker, 😅 so maybe I'm being generous.
It's def a pet pieve of mine as well. I only found A SINGLE UA-camR describe a system that makes those times accurate. If you are planning your meals then the advice is to prep your vegetables and meat as soon as you come back from the grocery store.
Cut all your vegetables, season and prep any meat and keep any bottles and seasoning close by so you aren't looking for anything come cook time.
It's the best way to prep weekend meals like this or for week long meal prep!
ua-cam.com/video/jLQZOdWfIWQ/v-deo.html
Everything you make is fabulous Brian. You're such a fantastic presenter and chef. I have made a dozen or so of your recipes so far and they are delicious. This beef recipe is next.
For velveting, in particular if you are someone that gets the metal taste from baking soda, just separate it into two steps. Baking soda + Water soak for ~15 minutes then RINSE IT. Then the marinade. For tougher cuts of meat you can actually double velvet (Baking soda + water soak for ~15 minutes, then RINSE IT, Baking soda + water soak for ~15 minutes then RINSE IT. Then Marinade). Either way rinsing it after velveting will remove the metal taste if that is an issue. So if you give this a shot and find there is a metal taste, don't give up on the recipe or the technique, you probably just need to separate the velveting and marinade portion.
Of course if you don't notice the taste of the baking soda, don't mind it, or just want to save yourself the 15/30 minutes of velveting separate, then 100% combine it with the marinade and it will still taste great. If I was cooking for myself and wife on a weeknight after work I would combine velveting and marinade, if I was cooking for friends or other family as well I would separate it. Regardless velveting is nearly fool proof, and it makes a MASSIVE difference for stir fries (also works great for other meats besides beef, chicken will literally melt in your mouth).
Wow OMG. I just made this. Even whipped out my super heavy wok from the 90s for it. Was so worth it! Might me my fav recipe of yours so far. I swapped the Flanksteak for minced beef, added some red bell pepper and a generous splash of sambal oelek for some heat. And voila!! The most delicious Pad Kra Pao - but with veggies. So hearty, juicy and savoury. This is gonna be my new staple weeknight dish for at least once a week!
Growing up with Wok cooking I applause you for doing it right. And it's refrashing to hear you break the technique down into simple English, where if you ask my mom and any Chinese line cook to describe their technique it would sounds like wizardry.
I can't stop with the wok either. This is a great video that will save people time. Took me awhile to figure out each of these things one by one. Use baking soda, get the temp and times right in the wok, proper sized batches, de-glazing, etc. All covered here and easy to follow.
Great job, again! This definitely is making me think differently about getting a carbon steel wok. One thing that would be helpful (although I haven't gone through all the comments, so it may be in there) would be a description of all the different sauces/condiments in that little box you pulled out of your pantry.
I got into wok cooking specifically because of Kenji. I use mine so much more than I thought - at least a few times per week.
Same. Now that I have the hang of it I'm using it more and more.
Same - found it to be one of the most versatile pieces of cooking equipment in the kitchen. Stir fries, frying things in oil, boiling water for noodles etc. Also easier to toss without getting shit all over your stove/countertops.
Kenji is a baller
I do a lot of wok cooking and when I say a lot I mean at least twice a week for the past several years. I have found you get a much better end result when cooking in a wok. I learned my technique from an old Chinese woman in the north west burbs of Chicago.
I think you did a great explanation of something I could never articulate about wok cooking. Thank you and as mostly. Another great video.
Hey Bri, made this twice in a week. Totally in the rotation now! Thanks!
I am a new comer and I subscribed the second I saw Brian dancing when tasting the food. That should be what cooking is all about! Joy and Dancing.
love your no-nonsense videos. i really appreciate them for giving me the confidence to face more complicated and elaborate recipes in the kitchen :)
I really enjoy how you translate difficult concepts and terms into language that is easier to understand for lay people. I am not good at browning and tend to "grey meat and limp vegetables". When I use your recipes I have you on while cooking and constantly reference the video as I go along. Thanks a lot for the video.
This made me so hungry!!! Beef, broccoli and rice are such a beautiful combo 🤤
Welcome to the wok cooking club. I bought my carbon steel wok in about 1985 and I still use it at least once a week.
I also bought a Camp Chef outdoor stove specifically for cooking in my wok. The burners put out 35,000 BTUs which is still a far cry from what a chinese restaurant wok station puts out, but it is 3 times the heat that many home stoves put out. It's hot enough to get a good char on my rice noodles when I make Pad See Eew.
I just learned the baking soda trick last month. Has totally changed how I cook meat now. The way I learned was to soak the meat in baking soda and water for like 25 minutes up to 2 hours, depending on the type of meat. Chicken stays really tender and not dried out. Even after a day in the refrigerator, it stays tender. So glad I learned the trick.
Made this tonight, am having it for dinner as I type this. I used a cast iron deep skillet and I feel it has plenty of flavor - I was checking the skillet temp and it was an average of 350 degrees…I also didn’t find my kitchen got that smoky at all - beef is nice and tender. Thanks Brian!
I love this! I’ve been reading the wok by Kenji too. When you started cooking the meat in 2 batches, I actually thought to myself that you might have read the wok too. Lol
Dude, as a single guy, I LOVE my wok!!
It doubles as a shallow fryer, deep fryer, and just plain old searing or cooking a Sunday "breakfast skillet" with eggs, sausage, taters, etc...
I want to get one like you have!!
Have a great weekend!!
15 minutes my tanned Italian backside.
Thanks for the good simple recipe. A couple of points from my experience with Chinese cooking sites. The cornstarch in the marinade is used for velveting and gives the meat a velvet-like surface. The baking soda is added to tenderize the meat.
15 minutes to cook... a lifetime to find the ingredients
You just need a good Asian market, or an Amazon account
u can get these at any asian store (even better if it’s chinese)
Go to your local Asian store/market.
Not really. "Amazon" is your friend 😮
Baking soda is the most important.
I've got a ceramic cook surface so I can't do the "wok thing" where you bang the pan around on the eye as you stir. BUT - for anyone reading this, a wok is still better than a normal fry pan for one very important reason. The much higher sides mean much less grease splatter all over the stove, which means much less trouble cleaning up. I haven't done the high heat trick before, but I'm going to try it when I have a go at this recipe. Good stuff as always, Brian. 👍
omg!! That's crazy!!! The beef gunk is the fond, it's where so much flavour is, you put water in, scratch it off and then reserve that to put back in the dish, you just threw away SO MUCH depth and flavour!!
I don’t believe you use the fond with high heat stir fry as it will burn before you add any sauce to deglaze the pan since the sauce comes last traditionally. The fond needs to be removed and actually wouldn’t even be there if the wok is well seasoned and the heat is high enough. Cooking with Lau discusses this in some of Daddy Lau's videos.
He’s cooking with extremely high heat. Within 2 seconds that fond is gonna turn into burnt gunk.
Super high heat but super short cooking time, I certainly get some meaty happiness from my pan doing this recipe. Maybe my heat isn't high enough..@@carolynea
@@chakacummings3860oil went way over its smoking point bon appetite
Made this for dinner tonight: Amazing!! Honestly one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. I bought a 16” carbon steel wok a couple of days ago and it was totally an impulse purchase-starting to think it was the best impulse purchase I’ve ever made. Crazy how high heat makes the flavors so much bolder. Much respect to the mighty wok!
this looks awesome as hell but aint no chance that all takes 15 min.
so glad that you finally got a wok. I've had a couple since I was in my early 20's. my round bottom is my favorite. they are also the best for making popcorn.
you need to get some tools that are specifically made to use with your wok. this makes the world of a difference.
7:30 Seriously? RIP flavors.
I learned about velveting a couple of years ago, and when I tried it I was impressed. It's more effective than only coating the meat in starch and marinating it.
it's unreal how well it works
Kitchen prep alone will take you like 20-30 minutes
Love the organization tip! Would love to see more tidbits of wisdom like that in the future!
Thanks! I'm really appreciating your info video. It's very informative and easy enough to follow. For a long time I couldn't find techniques on how to attain that smokey flavor. But, thanks to your video I can make it now. Great video!
to further add to the point about cooking similar things when you dont have a gas stove or suitable wok. you can still get great results on electric stoves and regular pans, just ensure to cook in small batches. it will take longer, but if you just throw everything in it will heat up, release liquid and then steam/boil. if you throw half in the heat will remain and things can actually sear.
i just made this in a non stick pan over a gas stove and it was amazing.
Digging this recipe! Been using a wok at home for ages, they’re amazing.
To be fair, just go to an Asian supermarket and by a wok from there for $15. Only thing is you need to maintain it properly or else it rusts.
Perfect timing for this vid! I’m moving to a small town with no good Asian. New cooktop has a higher BTU burner and I added a commercial grade vent. The next step is a wok and cookbook. Thanks Bri!
a quality hood vent is a total game changer. enjoy the new setup!
That was another tip I picked up from you, thank you for that one as well
Did a test run of this for lunch today. Awesome!!!! Going into the rotation for sure. I'd like to make it a bit less salty and I'm wondering where the best place to reduce soy sauce would be or what would be the best way to make it a bit less salty?
I love how simple and quick your videos, they get right to the point.
Hey, Bri! I absolutely am hooked on your videos. I knew it on the first one I watched. It was your Chicago (Shi-cah-gah) Italian (eye-tayl-in) Beef Sandwich vid. As a Chicago boy and beef aficionado I was blown away. I was searching for giardineire recipes and yours is it! I’m also glad you discovered the classic wok to use for stir frying. I have had one for years. Also the book by J. Kenji López-Alt. Very in depth and a classic. Good call!
yup. woks are awesome because the base matches the typical stove diameter. simple as that. so it captures the heat like any other pan, but with tall sloped sides for maneuvering
Made this twice now, delicious both times. It’s going into the regular rotation along with the Thai basil stir fry. Enjoyed learning the velveting technique, it works! Thank you!
I just made this today and everyone loved it! So much better than anything I've had from takeout restaurants! Thank you for this simple yet delicious recipe!
3 cheers for MadeIn. I love their saucepans and non-stick fry pans
holy shit i've been subscribed since this guy was called Weeds and Sardines with 20K subs. i'm so happy to see Brian has nearly 800K subs now!! Congratulations!!!
I like how you explained the benefits and the difference in using a wok, so concise. I could never get my friends and fam to understand how it works cos they always thoughts that it is a lengthy process when it is quite the opposite 😂 and its nice to see someone elses perspective on "wok hey" without having to read subtitles to get it 😅
I was the same way for a long time. I resisted Woks. I had Wokphobia. The seasoning and care, the size, and the perceived "unitasker" status made it easy to write off. Then, I started cooking a lot of Asian food and tried out a Taiwanese Carbon Steel Wok and was *HOOKED!* Immediately. It's much more versatile that I assumed, it's such a unique cooking medium compared to a frying pan, and it just makes cooking certain foods easier and more fun for me. Woks for the win, my Bri-Guy. 😁
Totally agree. I’m hooked. More wok recipes to come for sure
Made this tonight. Excellent. With the cost of Chinese takeout this is a new go to for the family. Thank you.
Made it
Substituted the sugar for maple syrup
And baking soda for soda water
And white wine for a splash of apple cider vinegar..
because I didn’t have the other options lol.
It was… PHENOMENAL. 🎉
Damn. Just finished eating and my bf is contemplating proposing to me tonight.
Thanks 😜
Gorgeous recipe and loved that you used broccolini instead of that horrid tree like stuff used at the restaurants. Chinese broccoli is also fantastic if available or even broccoli rabe (rapini) is surprisingly good as well. Which is usually available at most local groceries (except Walmart, Aldi, Save A Lot, etc.) or Italian import stores. Thanks for the recipe and you did a great job Bri ! 😋🤤😋
This has been a family favorite and I make this once a week or once every two weeks, though I add white pepper in the marinade and sauce
Looks super tasty, I will try this out once I have my outdoors wok station ready since I have no kitchen ventilator. But I have to say a tiny bit of me died inside when you scooped up that flavour goodness or gunk...
King, totally agree with you. Deglaze and grab that awesome flavor.
As I'm just cooking for one, I tend to use a wok for everything: steaks, burgers, eggs, stirfrys - just about anything that's not tomato-based. Great recipe. And of course, Kenji is our lord and saviour.
🙌🙌🙌
I have cooked this recipe a couple of times now and the result is always perfect. Great recipe!
in my cast iron this worked just wonderful! Better than the takeaways close by! I had a variation of it today: garlic sticks, red bell pepper and chicken marinated. Ooohh, this was so darn delicious man, i tell you. i wanna go on with chinese kitchen but don't know where exactly to go. Chinas got so many fantastic kitchens, i think i want to try sezhuan kitchen next.
we made this last night. I used a propane burner used for a deep fryer. I knew it would work great with a wok because it's like a jet stream. The food was very good. Next time I will use more garlic and extra sugar. I don't think I measured correctly.
Thanks for adding metric measurements as well.
This was delicious! Thabks for sharing the recipe and techniques!
Gracias muy rico, lo preparé y quedó delicioso gracias por ser mi chef ❤❤❤😊😊😊
I make this all the time. And…of course your way is much better. I always use sirloin because I think it’s more tender. Can’t wait to make it this way! Thanks Brian.
Made this tonight for dinner with friends. Another banger by the B-Man! This was great and everyone loved it!
Perfect! I love wok cooking and always looking for quick recipes. Thanks!
Love your videos!! So fresh! Cooking and Food for the people of the future
Did this tonight. Turned out great. Used white wine. I'll have to try the proper stuff next time. the house smelled amazing afterwards
Nice shout out to @JKenjiLopezAlt! I bought that book on pre-order and have been so happy with it since! Started exploring Chinese cooking about five years ago, but The Wok seriously upped my game! Highly recommend!
"Wok-curious." Love it. Great stuff. Beef and broccoli is one of my favorites and this looks stellar.
Great breakdown and recipe. I do something similar, except the choice of oil. I'd recommend Avocado oil over high smoke point partially hydrogenated oils for a healthier option.
Great presentation! Going to give it a try thanks
Best chef, best channel. Love from germany
OMG baking soda trick, did not know at all but its delicious, meat turned out super tender, thank you
my first time stir fry, now definitely want to get a wok
Yep, been using a blue steel wok for 40+ years. I love it.
the cooking wine has salt in it to avoid alcahol tax, you can get non salted chinese rice wines, but they meant for drinking and can be hard to get and heckspensive
Brian, you are a life saver for a Chicago girl that has moved to the rural south (AKA wasteland of terrible food). I have always been a decent cook and enjoyed cooking, but I've had to learn how to make so many things that I would have otherwise eaten out. I just finally mastered fried rice, so this is up next to add to that. Baking soda is the absolute key to the meats. Also, I LOVE the Asian tote. ALSO woks are amazing and there just is no other way to do it.
Pretty refreshing that you don’t shy away from the fact that this is going to be super smoky and maybe a different recipe would be better. Whatever genius designed my kitchen didn’t account for a vent hood to the outside so it’s slow cooker beef and broccoli for me. Good, but not the same. Maybe I should get a propane burner and just use a wok outside.
Love the stem part. It’s the best when using a peeler to remove the woody parts
Apparently in China you can drink the rice wine, as it doesn't have the added salt. They do this for the imported stuff so it can be sold as a grocery item. As far as I know the real is unavailable unless maybe carried by some specialty liquor stores. I've made 3x now, about to start 4th batch. Better than any takeout I've ever had. People at work who tried agreed. Thanks B!.
Yo bro, just want to say I big pprec your recipes. Thanks to you this tame boy is lookin like a straight bad dog in the kitchen. Thank you!
Woof woof
Great video and Happy 2023! Would love to see you do a video cooking Mongolian Beef!!
thank you for your detailed explanation on your videos.
On many ranges, if you remove the diffuser from the burner, you'll get a super concentrated flame that's actually very conducive to cooking with a wok.
Kenji has also similarly convinced me to give wok cooking a try. Huge fan of Chinese cuisine and specifically Szechuan. But hot damn there is a lot of technique and a lot of ingredients which I don't fully understand. Culinary demigod had me in stitches
I've done the Kenji one, will try yours with the onions, will probably add some MSG during final toss
Another little useful cooking tip is if you don't have the rice wine, you can make about a cup to a cup and a quarter out of white vinegar and plain white sugar. About three quarters of a cup of white vinegar and 1/4 cup of white sugar. When you blend it together it tastes just like the Sherry. Just a little cooking suggestion we don't have something like that on hand.