Meals · Stir-fries & fried rice
Paleo beef and broccoli
Thin slices of flank steak seared hard in a hot pan, a mountain of bright broccoli, and a glossy garlic and ginger sauce made with coconut aminos, broth and a squeeze of lime. It tastes like the takeout classic, without soy or added sugar, and it is on the table in half an hour over cauliflower rice.
- Time
- 30 min (15 prep + 15 cook)
- Servings
- 4
- Per serving
- 385 kcal
- Protein
- 37 g
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 lb flank steak, sliced thin against the grain
- 1 tbsp arrowroot
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp avocado oil, divided
- about 11 cups florets, from 3 large heads broccoli
- 1/4 cup water
To serve
- 4 cups cauliflower rice, fresh or frozen
- a pinch salt
Sauce
- scant 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- scant 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot
- 1 tsp sesame oil, toasted, stirred in off the heat (optional)
- 3 green onions, sliced
Steps
- Toss the sliced beef with the first tablespoon of arrowroot and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir together the coconut aminos, broth, lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, ginger and chili flakes, if using, for the sauce.
- Heat half the oil in your largest wok or a wide pot over high heat until it just smokes. Sear the beef in two batches, in one layer, about 1 minute a side, adding the rest of the oil for the second batch, until browned at the edges. Lift onto a plate.
- Add the broccoli and the 1/4 cup of water to the hot pan, cover and steam for 3 minutes, then uncover and toss for 1–2 minutes until the water has gone and the broccoli is bright and crisp-tender. Tip it out with the beef. Meanwhile, cook the cauliflower rice with the pinch of salt in a second large dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, for 5–6 minutes, uncovered, until hot and the steam has gone.
- Spoon 3 tablespoons of the sauce into a cup and stir in the remaining tablespoon of arrowroot until smooth. Pour the rest of the sauce into the wok over medium heat and let it bubble for 1 minute. Stir in the arrowroot mixture and keep stirring for 1–2 minutes, until it is thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Return the beef and broccoli to the pan, leaving behind any juices on the plate, which would thin the sauce. Toss for about 1 minute until glossy and the beef is cooked to at least 145°F. Off the heat, stir in the sesame oil, scatter with the green onion and serve over the cauliflower rice. Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge; reheat in a pan with a splash of water or covered in the microwave at half power.
Good to know
Why slice against the grain?
Flank steak has long, visible muscle fibers. Cut across them and every slice falls apart tenderly in your mouth; cut along them and it chews like string. Half an hour in the freezer makes thin slices much easier.
Can I use sirloin instead of flank?
Yes, top sirloin stays tender in a quick sear, at about 69 instead of 66.
Is sesame oil paleo?
A strict paleo kitchen leaves out seed oils. It is here as a single teaspoon of seasoning for aroma and not as a cooking oil, which is how most popular paleo versions of this dish use it. If you avoid it, leave it out: the dish still works and is a little less nutty.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 93
- Protein
- (39%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (33%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (28%)
- 7 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 328 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1538 kcal goes into the pot and 2039 g of ingredients comes out as about 1652 g of food: 93 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.