Description
This Black Pepper Beef recipe is a quick and flavorful stir-fry dish that combines tender slices of beef with colorful bell peppers in a savory black pepper sauce. It’s easy to make and perfect for a delicious weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Black Pepper Steak:
- 450 g (1 lb) thin steak sliced thinly, against the grain (I use sirloin)
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 medium-sized onions, peeled and chopped into thick slices
- 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (or replace with dry sherry)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) beef stock
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp minced ginger
To Serve:
- Boiled rice
Instructions
- Toss the steak slices with 1 tsp of the black pepper and the salt. Heat 3 tbsp of the sunflower oil and the sesame oil in a wok (or large frying pan) over a high heat until hot, then add the steak. Fry the steak for 2-3 minutes, moving it around the wok so it doesn’t stick together, until browned. Spoon out the steak into a bowl, leaving any oil behind in the wok. Turn down the heat to medium.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp of sunflower oil to the wok. Add in the sliced onions and sliced peppers. Stir fry the vegetables for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
- Whilst the vegetables are cooking, take a small jug and add the cornflour, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese rice wine, beef stock and the remaining 1 tsp of black pepper. Stir together to combine then put to one side.
- Coming back to the wok, add the garlic and minced ginger to the vegetables. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add in the sauce we mixed in the jug to the wok and stir together. Let it come to a gentle simmer. If it looks too thick you can add in a splash of water. Add the steak back to the wok and stir through to coat in the sauce. Cook for a further 2 minutes to heat the steak back through.
- Serve the black pepper beef over boiled rice.
Notes
- This recipe tastes best when cooked and eaten right away, but you can make it ahead if you prefer. If you do, I would definitely recommend you use sirloin, as it stands up better to the reheating process, whilst still being tender. The vegetables will be softer upon reheating.
- To make ahead, make the black pepper beef stir fry, quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to reheat it to take the chill off it, then reheat over a medium-high heat in a wok. Stir often to prevent it sticking and add in a good splash of water or beef stock to help loosen up the sauce. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until piping hot throughout.
- Ingredient swaps: Swap out the beef for thin strips of pork or chicken. Add in other quick-cook vegetables like thin strips of carrot, sugarsnap peas (snow peas), beansprouts (mung bean sprouts), and thinly shredded cabbage.
- How to scale up and scale down this recipe: You can double or halve the recipe, sticking to the same ingredient ratios. If you’re doubling the recipe, it’s likely you’ll have to cook the steak in two batches to prevent it from becoming chewy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 345 kcal
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 840mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
