Beef & Broccoli is a classic combination in Chinese cooking. Usually it’s stir-fried, but for a healthier version, I like to steam the broccoli and use a slow cooker for the beef. You use less oil and the beef gets so melt-in-your-mouth tender. (You’ve probably tried beef & broccoli from a take-out before and had a hard time chewing through the tough, stir-fried meat. Not something you have to worry about if you are slow cooking the beef at home).
This Slow-Cooker Hoisin Five-Spice Beef with Broccoli recipe is easy to cook up, but you’ll just need a good range of ingredients from your Asian pantry. The sauce is a mix of hoisin, soy sauce, rice wine, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, Sichuan Chinese Five Spice, and a few more basic ingredients like cornstarch, sugar, garlic, and chicken or beef broth. It’s a delicious combination that you can use to flavor all sorts of beef, chicken, or pork dishes in your slow cooker.
If you have the time, add the extra step of browning the beef and onion in a skillet before adding them into the slow cooker. This step will give the meat a rich, caramelized flavor that you can’t achieve by just cooking it in the slow cooker.
When the beef is ready to eat, steam the broccoli (best way to lock in its nutrients) or give them a quick blanch. Then add the broccoli and the Slow-Cooker Hoisin Five-Spice Beef in to a bowl of white or brown rice. Enjoy!
Slow-Cooker Hoisin Five-Spice Beef with Broccoli
by Season With Spice
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 lb flank steak (or sirloin or tri-tip steak) – thinly sliced against the grain
1 medium yellow onion – thinly sliced
Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
For the Hoisin Five-Spice Sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 cup chicken or beef broth
1/4 tsp Season with Spice’s Sichuan-style Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp rice vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves – minced
Method:
1. If you have time, brown the beef and onions on the stove before adding them into the slow cooker. You can skip the browning process, but it adds a nice, rich caramelized flavor that you can’t get by just cooking the beef and onions in the slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the sauce and mix well.
3. Pour the hoisin five-spice sauce over the beef and onions in the slow cooker. Toss to coat.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or until the beef is tender to your preference. Serve with steamed rice and broccoli. Garnish the beef with toasted sesame seeds if desired.
by Season With Spice
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 lb flank steak (or sirloin or tri-tip steak) – thinly sliced against the grain
1 medium yellow onion – thinly sliced
Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
For the Hoisin Five-Spice Sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 cup chicken or beef broth
1/4 tsp Season with Spice’s Sichuan-style Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp rice vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves – minced
Method:
1. If you have time, brown the beef and onions on the stove before adding them into the slow cooker. You can skip the browning process, but it adds a nice, rich caramelized flavor that you can’t get by just cooking the beef and onions in the slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the sauce and mix well.
3. Pour the hoisin five-spice sauce over the beef and onions in the slow cooker. Toss to coat.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or until the beef is tender to your preference. Serve with steamed rice and broccoli. Garnish the beef with toasted sesame seeds if desired.
