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Five Spice Beef Cutlet with Broccoli Puree and Five Spice Jus

by:
October 21, 2024
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Five Spice Beef Cutlet with Broccoli Puree and Five Spice Jus
Photo by Ty Mecham
  • Prep time 30 minutes
  • Cook time 45 minutes
  • Serves 1
Author Notes

You might be familiar with the popular Chinese takeout dish: beef and broccoli. In this recipe, I've put a modern spin on the classic by swapping the traditional beef slivers with a crispy cutlet and blending the broccoli florets into a silky, buttery puree. The two are bound with a five spice jus that mimics the sauce from a traditional beef and broccoli stir fry. While the look and textures of this dish are different from what you might be used to, a lot of the same techniques still apply here like velveting and using a cornstarch slurry. If you're not familiar, velveting is when you cover a protein, typically beef or pork, with baking soda to tenderize it. We also use cornstarch to thicken the sauce by dissolving it first in water to avoid any lumps in our sauce. The recipe really comes together when using the Vitamix Ascent X5 in tandem. The puree comes out super smooth and it even has a setting for blending spices! I hope you give this recipe a try, you won't be disappointed. Happy cooking!—Musashi Osaki

—Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe is presented in partnership with Vitamix. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Five Spice Beef Cutlet with Broccoli Puree and Five Spice Jus
Ingredients
  • For the broccoli puree:
  • 2 broccoli
  • 3.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed (more if needed)
  • 1 shallot, sliced thin
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced thin
  • leaves from 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 1/4 heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3/4 tablespoon neutral oil/tallow
  • salt to taste
  • white pepper to taste
  • For the breading mixture:
  • 1/4 pound top round or flank steak, pounded thin
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten and strained, seasoned with 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 cup panko
  • 1/8 baking soda
  • 1/2 cup neutral oil
  • salt to taste
  • For the five spice powder:
  • 2 sichuan peppercorns
  • 5 whole star anise
  • 1 clove
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • For the five spice jus:
  • 1 quart beef stock (optional)
  • 1 dark soy
  • 1 light soy
  • 1 oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water, more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large pinch five spice powder, more to taste
  • For the cornstarch slurry:
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • For the garnish:
  • 1 cilantro stem, chopped fine
  • cilantro leaves
  • five spice powder
Directions
  1. Make the broccoli puree:
  2. Remove the florets from the broccoli head and blanch in heavily salted water for 3 minutes. Add the spinach after 2 minutes and shock everything in ice water. Squeeze dry and place in a blender.
  3. Thinly slice the broccoli stems and sauté in a hot pan with neutral oil and salt.
  4. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until translucent. Add 3 tablespoons of boiling water and cover with a cartouche until tender.
  5. Blend with the blanched broccoli heads and spinach along with the butter and heavy cream. Add more butter if needed until the puree tastes smooth and looks shiny. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
  6. Make the beef cutlet:
  7. Season the steak with baking soda and leave for at least 2 minutes.
  8. Season the flour with a pinch of salt and five spice powder and coat the steak.
  9. Next coat the steak in the beaten egg, then the panko.
  10. Shallow fry in oil on high heat, 375F, until golden brown on both sides and drain on a sheet tray lined with a rack.
  11. Make the five spice powder:
  12. Toast until aromatic and blend to a fine powder.
  13. Make the cornstarch slurry:
  14. Stir the water and cornstarch together until smooth.
  15. Make the five spice jus:
  16. If using beef stock, reduce over medium heat until it thickens and add the rest of the ingredients, omitting the cornstarch slurry. Adjust the seasoning with more beef stock or salt.
  17. If making without the beef stock, bring everything else to a boil and stream in the cornstarch slurry until thick. Adjust seasoning with more salt or water.
  18. Assemble:
  19. Slice the steak against the grain and arrange on a plate.
  20. Add a spoon of the puree off to the side and pour the jus.
  21. Garnish with the cilantro, cilantro stems, and five spice powder.
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