Classic Beef and Broccoli

Beef and broccoli is a Chinese-American staple built on a Cantonese technique: blanch the green vegetable, sear the protein, then marry them with a quick pan sauce. Blanching the florets for 60 seconds first means they finish bright green instead of olive drab. Cut the beef into bite-size pieces rather than long strips so every forkful gets a floret and a piece of meat. A spoon of oyster sauce does most of the flavor work, so buy a good one.