There has been various types of Asian cooking recipes online that does not work properly. Who want this mediocre end result which makes you still wonder what the restaurants do with the meat?

Two techniques are used mainly for this, one is named Velveting. And the one we'll use today is the stir fry version which contains less oil, but still same result. Today's technique Involves the usage of Baking soda, a binding agent made from starch and stir frying.

Why the usage of baking soda?

Baking soda is known for breaking down the connective tissues in the meat, which again leads to a much more tender result.

Why should I bother the stress of cooking this food at home?

There are many answers to this question, but a really important one is based on the health benefits from cooking at home. One subject has been the well known "chinese restaurant syndrome", that very often refers to peoples MSG intolerance. Msg is a flavor enhancer invented by the Ajinomoto company in japan. Lots of people have had side effects from it. Such as headaches, flushing, abdominal pains and some rare cases of severe health conditions. So cooking this at home also gives you full control regarding what's being put into the food and not. And it leaves you with less sodium intake as this is a less saucy and starchy version of the dish.

Although oyster sauce has a natural ability to produce glutamate which means you are not left completely without it. But my advice is to check the bottles, but I suggest you to find a good naturally brewed soy sauce or Japanese Tamari. These are often without preservatives and artificial flavors.

Some oils can be high in saturated fats. By choosing the correct type of oil and stir frying instead of calling your local take out you have already made a healthier decision.

Another useful and handy trick is that you can improve your family or make your date crave for more bowls of rice. Who wouldn't like that?

What oils should I use?

There are various types of oils that are suitable for these purposes such as:

• Rapeseed oil
• Canola oil (very low in saturated fat)
• Peanut oil
• Sunflower oil
• Corn oil

Marinade:

1 pound of tender beef. Flank, rump or round steak is fine.
1 tsp of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
2 tsp potato or corn starch.
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry.
1 tbsp oyster sauce (lee kum kee is recommended)
1 tsp sesame oil (brown pure sesame oil)
1 tbsp light soy sauce

Vegetables:

1 Regular broccoli cut into florets or 1 package of Chinese broccoli.
1 tbsp Minced ginger and garlic.

Sauce:

3 tbsp chicken stock
1 tbsp oyster sauce
pinch of white pepper
1 tsp sesame oil (brown pure sesame oil)
few drops of light soy sauce
few drops of dark thick soy sauce.
2 tsp starch mixed with 1 tbsp water.


Marinating

1. Cut the meat across the grain into thin strips.
2. Place the beef into a bowl.
3. Mix light soy sauce and rice wine together with the baking soda.
4. Mix well with clean hands., you will now hear the baking soda starting to break down the connective tissues in the meat.
5. Add the oyster sauce and mix well with your hands.
6. Add the chosen starch and mix until a sticky consistency is achieved.
7. Mix in the sesame oil. Oil has both the benefit of enhancing the flavors and remove the starchy flavor in meat marinades.

Preparation

1. Parboil regular broccoli for about 1 minute a rinse in cold water immediately.
2. Turn on high heat, wait until your Cast iron/carbon steel wok heats up until you see some smoke..
3. Add about 2 tablespoons of oil and wait until a light smoke comes from the oil.
4. Add half of the beef, let it sizzle being spread across the bottom of the wok and after about 1 minute turn the beef and let it sizzle a bit. Stir fry until no longer pink and set aside. Add a bit more oil and repeat process again.
5. Stir fry the parboiled broccoli in a clean hot wok for about 2 minutes.
6. Add in beef and mix well together, set aside.
7. Mix the stock, white pepper, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar well together in the wok at medium heat. Thicken with the starch mixture, when thickened mix well and let it heat through. Now is the time to tweak the flavors a bit and you can always add more flavors depending on your own taste.
   
8. Serve on a nice plate with precooked jasmine rice or brown wild rice for a healthier alternative.
   

For a more authentic touch on the dish you can always substitute broccoli with Gai lan which is a chinese/thai broccoli. It hadds a marvelous green color to the dish and a great crunch texture among the succulent beef.