Asian style beef with broccoli. Because we're Asian, you know.

I have not always enjoyed Asian food.

This quickly became a problem in my relationship with RJ, because, oh wait, he's half Vietnamese.

So I learned.

I learned

how to make spring rolls, which are delightful, and I learned how to make Pho, which is hard and smells weird and which I won't eat because of the weird smelling part, and I learned how to eat out at Asian restaurants without embarrassing either one of us.

And over time I developed a fondness for a few things.

Like Beef with Broccoli.

Oh, and I'm not completely Asian-uninformed. I do realize that this particular dish is not of Vietname

se origin, and that it is really some Americanized thing that is served in Chinese restaurants for the white people to enjoy, but so what? It tastes good in my mouth.

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 Tablespoons flour

2 cups (give or take) of beef broth

2 teaspoons of white sugar

2 Tablespoons of soy sauce

a tiny tiny bit of fresh ginger root (like about the size of a penny)

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 pound sliced steak - I use the really thin breakfast steaks, or flank steak. The thinner you can slice it, the better it will be.

1 large head of broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces

some chopped mushrooms (optional)

Don't you just love it when a recipe tells you something is optional, like everything else HAS to be there, but that one thing really doesn't? Hello?!? Recipe?!? I don't really even have to make you AT ALL. So there. You are completely optional to me...

Oil (vegetable, olive, canola, whatever)

WHAT YOU DO:

Put the first six ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend it all up. If you have a smallish food processor like I do, you might have to leave half of the broth out of the mixture until after blending. Just put it in later. I won't really care.

In a large skillet or wok, heat a bit of oil - maybe a tablespoon of it. After the oil is heated, toss in the steak, mushrooms and broccoli, and toss it around on high heat until the meat isn't pink any more.

Add in the sauce and reduce the heat to medium. The sauce will start to thicken. I like mine well done and kinda mushy, so I cook it for about 10-12 minutes, but if you prefer your vegetables to still look like their original form, 5 minutes or so will do ya.

Serve it over white rice.

Or brown rice.

Totally OPTIONAL.