Thinly sliced beef, green broccoli and a lightly thickened sauce of oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic and ginger: this Indonesian-Chinese stir-fry is on the table in no time with warm rice.
Cah sapi brings together two simple ideas: cah refers to stir-frying, and sapi means beef. Indonesian-Chinese kitchens have many versions of vegetable and meat stir-fries; the exact vegetables and sauce vary from cook to cook and place to place. In this version, broccoli takes center stage, while the beef adds savory depth. Oyster sauce gives the sauce depth, while light soy sauce adds saltiness without overpowering the other flavors.
The broccoli should still be firm after cooking. Cut the florets to roughly the same size so they cook evenly. A short pour of broth and a lid help the stems become tender-crisp without cooking them for long. Then cornstarch thickens the sauce very slightly: just enough to cling to the broccoli, but not so much that it forms a thick glaze. Keep the pan hot and add the broccoli only after removing the beef; this gives each ingredient room to fry.
Slice the beef thinly against the grain. This makes it easier to eat while tender and means it cooks through in a short time. Bavette or flank steak strips work well; another tender steak will also do. If you like, freeze the meat for 15 to 20 minutes to make it easier to slice thinly. Cook it in batches if your pan isn’t large enough: an overcrowded pan cools down and makes the meat release moisture rather than brown.
Broccoli is available year-round in the Netherlands and works well in this dish whether it’s fresh from the market or from the supermarket. Choose a firm head with compact, dark green florets. For extra vegetables, you can replace some of the broccoli with pak choi or thinly sliced carrot, but bear in mind that they take different amounts of time to cook: carrots need a little longer, while tender leafy greens need less. Use light soy sauce, not dark soy sauce, if you want to keep the sauce light and bright in flavor.
Serve the stir-fry straight away with warm white rice to soak up the savory sauce. You can cook the rice while you prepare the ingredients. Cool leftovers quickly, store them covered in the refrigerator and reheat thoroughly within two days. Cool any leftover rice separately and quickly, put it straight in the refrigerator and use it within a day; reheat rice only once. The broccoli will soften as it sits, so it’s best served fresh for the firmest bite.
Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water is mostly clear. Put it in a pan with 450 ml water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and cook the rice according to the package instructions. Set aside with the lid on.
Slice the beef thinly against the grain. Divide the broccoli into small florets and cut the peeled stem into thin slices. Finely chop the garlic and grate the ginger.
Stir the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, broth and cornstarch together in a small bowl until smooth.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Fry the beef in a single layer, in two batches if needed, for about 1 minute per side until browned on the outside. Transfer it to a plate; it will finish cooking later.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for 20 seconds, until fragrant. Add the broccoli and toss for 2 minutes.
Pour the sauce over the broccoli and cover the pan. Steam for 2 to 3 minutes, until the florets are bright green and almost tender-crisp. Toss once halfway through.
Return the beef and any juices it has released to the pan, along with the black pepper. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce is lightly thickened and the beef is cooked through. Serve straight away with the rice.
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