Get ready for massive flavor in this soy curl beef and broccoli recipe, that'll fool your family into thinking you got take-out for dinner. Without sacrificing that velvety, thick and rich sauce, we've adapted this version to be mostly oil-free, since we're not using any vegetable oil to stir-fry the ingredients.

white bowl with steamed jasmine rice and soy curl beef and broccoli

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Does anyone else get annoyed when there's not enough sauce?

I almost always double the sauce ingredients for Chinese recipes that have a thick sauce. It's so good! I wanna smother my rice in it! Gimme more, please.

So, this recipe was developed to make sure there's plenty of saucy goodness at the bottom of the pan to go around.

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

Ingredients for soy curl beef and broccoli with no vegetable oil: fresh broccoli florets, soy curls, ginger, garlic, green onion, vegan no-beef bouillon cube, cornstarch, sugar, shaoxing wine, vegan oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and toasted sesame oil.

Soy curls - Butler's soy curls are made using the whole soy bean and then dried. They can be found at some health food stores, on Amazon or on Butlerfoods.com.
Vegan no-beef bouillon - Using a vegan no-beef bouillon helps to mimic the beef flavor using spices. A few brands that carry this are: Edward & Sons (pictured), Better than Bouillon and Orrington Farms.
Shaoxing wine - This is a Chinese cooking wine that is used in many recipes. Grab a bottle for this recipe and you'll have it for anytime you want to make Chinese food, like fried rice. You can use dry sherry instead, but use the Shaoxing wine, if you can find it.
Vegan oyster sauce - Oyster-free oyster sauce is made from mushrooms! It'll be labeled "vegetarian oyster sauce" but check the ingredients and you'll see that it's actually vegan as well. Another staple for many Chinese recipes to keep on hand.
Light soy sauce - Light soy sauce is what you see on restaurant tables and what you likely have in your refrigerator right now. (This is not referring to low sodium soy sauce.)
Dark soy sauce - Dark soy sauce is mostly for color in this recipe. It is much darker than light soy sauce, with an intense flavor, a slightly thicker consistency and more sodium. If you can't source it, substitute for more light soy sauce.
Toasted sesame oil - Incredibly fragrant, toasted sesame oil is used in small quantities for it's aroma mostly. Regular sesame oil (that's not labeled toasted or roasted) won't give the same effect.

🔪 Instructions

Here's how to make vegan soy curl beef and broccoli step-by-step!

Process step 1 - mixing soy curl marinade ingredients in bowl

Step 1: In a large bowl, mix together soy curl marinade ingredients (hot water, bouillon cube, light and dark soy sauce, shaoxing wine and toasted sesame oil). Stir to dissolve bouillon cube in the hot water.

Process step 2 - add soy curls to marinade and set aside

Step 2: Once dissolved, add dry soy curls and stir to coat, so the soy curls can soak up the marinade. Set aside.

Process step 3 - whisk sauce ingredients together in a bowl

Step 3: To a medium bowl, add all sauce ingredients together (light and dark soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, sugar, cornstarch and cool water) and whisk to combine. Set aside, leaving the whisk in the bowl.

Process step 4 - steam broccoli in a covered wok until crisp tender

Step 4: Heat wok (or large, wide skillet) over high heat. When it's hot, add the broccoli and dry stir fry for about 45-60 seconds. Then, add in ¼ cup of water and cover. Allow the broccoli to steam for about 3 minutes, then check to see if it's as soft as you'd like. If not, add a little water, cover and steam another minute, until crisp-tender. Transfer broccoli to a bowl and set aside.

Process step 5 - steam saute garlic and ginger slices in a little water

Step 5: Turn heat down to medium. Add a tablespoon of water to the wok, then add the ginger and garlic. Stir fry ginger and garlic slices for 1 minute.

Process step 6 - add soy curls and green onion and saute until marinade evaporates and soy curls brown

Step 6: Then, add green onion, soy curls and any leftover marinade to the wok and turn it up to high heat. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes until the marinade has evaporated and the soy curls are lightly seared. You can remove the 3 ginger slices now and throw them away or (or leave them in and just pick them out when you're eating.)

Process step 7 - add broccoli back to wo

Step 7: Add broccoli to the wok.

Process step 8 - whisk one more time and pour sauce into wok

Step 8: Whisk the sauce mixture one last time (the cornstarch will have settled at the bottom of the bowl), then add the sauce to the wok.

Process step 9 - cook 60-90 seconds until bubbly and thickened

Step 9: Stir everything together and heat over medium-high heat until it's bubbly and thickened, about 60-90 seconds.

using chopsticks to pick up a piece of soy curl out of white bowl with steamed jasmine rice and soy curl beef and broccoli

Step 10: Turn off the heat and serve it over steamed rice.

Expert Tips

Prep your sauce before you start stir-frying, that part goes really fast!
Don't overcook the broccoli. It's really best with fresh broccoli (not frozen) so you still get that crisp-tender bite to the broccoli in the finished dish.
Don't be afraid to use a little water to prevent the garlic and ginger from burning.
Buy the sauces! The flavor comes from the combination of sauces so if you can, go to an Asian market and get the dark soy sauce, shaoxing wine and vegetarian oyster sauce. The light soy sauce and toasted sesame oil should be available at a well-stocked grocery store in the international foods aisle.

🥡 Make ahead and storage tips

Leftovers will stay good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. I wouldn't freeze them, though.

🗺 Cultural influences

This recipe is inspired by my family's many trips to Hunan Dragon in Houston while I was growing up. Their classic Chinese-American restaurant dishes like beef and broccoli will forever be the gauge I use to judge all other Chinese recipes by.

Here's an authentic, traditional recipe for this dish: Beef with Broccoli from Pups with Chopsticks.

See About for more information on my cultural influences and how I attribute recipes.

Love this recipe?

Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below, so I know which recipes you like the best. This helps me know what to make more of!

📖 Recipe

Adapted from recipe by Joyce Lee of Pups with Chopsticks.