For this authentic Chinese stir fry recipe you will need Chinese black pepper sauce, which can be bought in a jar from most Asian markets. If you cannot find black pepper sauce, substitute 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper and 1 ½ tablespoons of oyster sauce.
You'll also want a cooking oil with a high smoke point. Peanut oil or grapeseed oil work well, or you can just use plain old vegetable oil if you want.
In this recipe, you will cook the beef first and then add it back into the stir-fry at the end. This is a common technique to ensure the beef is cooked evenly but not overcooked. Try not to stir the beef around too much to keep it from getting tough. Marinating the beef briefly in cornstarch, oil and soy sauce tenderizes the beef and also helps to thicken the sauce.
Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 200g beef, sliced very thin
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce, divided
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 2 heaping tablespoons black pepper sauce (jarred)
- vegetable oil
Method
- Mix the beef slices with the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of oil. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile prepare all the other ingredients so they are ready to go into the wok.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in the wok, saute pan or deep skillet over medium high heat. When oil is shimmering (but not smoking!) add the beef and spread it out in the bottom of the wok to maximize surface area contact with the heat. Do not stir for 30 seconds. Then flip the meat over so that the other side of the beef is in contact with the heat for another 30 seconds. Stir the beef gently to ensure all the slices get cooked. When all pink is gone, remove the beef to a plate and set aside.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil in wok over medium high heat.
- When oil is shimmering, add the garlic and onions. Stir fry by tossing constantly until onions soften and color a little bit. Add the sliced bell peppers and stir fry just until peppers are crisp-tender, less than 2 minutes.
- Add the beef back into the wok and toss with the vegetables. Add the jarred black pepper sauce and remaining one teaspoon of soy sauce. Stir until sauce is hot and bubbling. If sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of water and stir into sauce until incorporated. Remove to a large plate.
- Serve with steamed white rice, or plain spaghetti noodles.
Camilla Cheung - Camilla is a Canadian freelance writer currently living on the Central Coast of California. She has a background in teaching and ...
