Chinese beef and broccoli and asparagus

I must have been thinking about braising a roast sometime off in the future. Seems so unlike me to have a big hunk of cooked meat in the refrigerator until I can eat it. Along with the vegetables that go with it.

Best it be kept small. The price on this thing was outrageous. Still, it is too tough to eat like this so like Chinese do, I cheat. I took my cheats from Chinese. They add baking soda to jack the pH and soften the meat. It really does soften the meat. Like a sponge. 

So that it no longer feels like real meat. Most unnatural.

The syrupy meat leaves fond in the pan ↑.

Water lifts off the fond ↓.  Obviously any liquid can do this; beef stock, wine, beer. 

Meat added back to the pan along with flavorful sauce containing the 7 magical Asian flavor ingredients listed at the bottom of this page. Including corn starch to thicken.

I should have used fewer. The flavors in this are too strong. 

Unpleasantly strong. Too few broccoli pieces. Needs less meat and more vegetables and weaker sauce. 

I realize how terrible that sounds. Positively un-American. 

I tell you what, if any restaurant pulls this baking soda meat softening on my dinner I'll know it instantly. First taste. They use baking soda for a lot of things that we do not such as noodles. It is not just a leaven used with an acid, it does a lot more such as keep cookies soft.