20 minutes quick Chinese style beef stir fried with black pepper, a very “Chinese” style stir-frying recipe using beef, onion, green peppers and ground black pepper.
Black pepper sauce and beef have been the best partner worldwide. I love that uniform and mild thick black pepper sauce very much when eating beef steaks. However, a new rule is applied in this recipe. Beef is marinated with a relatively thick sauce. And black pepper is used at the very end of the stir-frying. We get a drier, cleaner and bouncing flavored black pepper and beef stir fry. It is just so amazing that we can create so many layers of flavors in a simple stir fry dish.
Marinating play an extremely important role for tender meat. On one hand, beef absorb the taste and flavors in the marinating process, so it forms a very foundational flavor (底味). Then cornstarch is applied in order to keep the juice inside by forming a protecting shell. Vegetable oil is used at last as a protecting agent of the cornstarch. Adding cold vegetable oil in the beef can help to prevent the beef from sticking to the work, and further more prevent the marinating sauce and cornstarch separating from the meat. We call this as “脱浆”in Chinese.
Cook's Note
- The vegetable oil should be mixed just before frying. The cold oil will protect our sauces and starch.
- After spreading the beef strips to the pan, let them stay for around 5-6 seconds until the starch finish gelatinization, otherwise the marinating tissues might be separated from the meat. In addition, be gentle and quick in the whole process.
- If you use a larger pan, you may need more oil to cover the bottom. After frying the beef strips, transfer the extra oil out and leave any around 1 tablespoon of oil in to fry the onion and peppers.
Instructions
Cut the beef steak into 1cm wide strips. Marinate with all the marinating seasonings except sesame oil for 15 minutes. Then add sesame oil just before frying.
Add cooking oil in a large pan until the oil can evenly cover the bottom of the pan. spread the beef strips in. Let them stay for around 5 to 6 seconds and gently stir them several times until the beef strips change color. Transfer the beef out and leave around 1 tablespoon of the oil in.
Fry garlic until aromatic. Fry green peppers and red onion until slightly soft (do not kill them). Add a small pinch of salt.
Return beef strips back. Mix well. Spread freshly ground black pepper.Serve hot with noodles or steamed rice.
🧾Recipe
Chinese Black Pepper Beef
Ingredients
- 200 g beef steak ,cut into small strips
Marinating
- 1.5 tbsp. oyster sauce
- ½ tbsp. light soy sauce
- ¼ tsp. ground pepper
- ¼ tsp. sugar
- ½ tbsp. Chinese cooking wine ,Shaoxing wine
- 2 tsp. corn starch
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
Side Ingredients
- vegetable cooking oil ,as needed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 fresh green peppers ,remove the seeds and finely shredded
- ¼ red onion ,shredded
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the beef steak into 1cm wide strips. Marinate with all the marinating seasonings including soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper, sugar, Chinese cooking wine and cornstarch for 15 minutes. Mix in sesame oil just before start frying.
- Add cooking oil in a large pan until the oil can evenly cover the bottom of the pan. spread the beef strips in. Let them stay for around 5 to 6 seconds and gently stir them several times until the beef strips change color. Transfer the beef out and leave around 1 tablespoon of the oil in.
- Fry garlic until aromatic. Fry green peppers and red onion until slightly soft (do not kill them). Add a small pinch of salt. Return beef strips back. Mix well. Spread freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve hot with noodles or steamed rice.
Nutrition
Ike
Hi Elaine,
I don't consume alcohol. Can I just skip the chinese cooking wine ? Or is there subs for this ?
Thanks !
Elaine
You can skip cooking wine.
Bad Kitty
Most, if not all, of the alcohol cooks off (evaporates) in cooking the process.
dylan
what cut of beef should be used?
Elaine
All cuts can be used.
Pj
Fantastic, tastes like I ordered it from a restaurant. I thought all that black pepper would be overwhelming, but it’s really not. My only additions were that I added a little baking soda to the marinade to tenderize the meat and a splash of dark soy sauce for color. Great recipie.
Elaine
Thank you Pj.
Penny
Delicious! I've made it several times since first trying it, and have shared it with friends who also love it. Thanks for sharing this delicious and easy dish.
Elaine
Thanks Penny for your lovely feedback!
Sari
The dish is sooo good and definitely better than the one you get at expensive Chinese restaurant. I used sirloin and added sliced mushroom.
My daughter rarely comments in my cooking but this time, she did say it’s one of my best cooking.
Thank you for the recipe !!!
Elaine
Haha, congratulations Sari. You get the tips for Chinese tender beef stir fry. Happy cooking!
Janice Hill
Hi Elaine, just made your recipe and it was very good. I will definitely make this again. I used rice vinegar I’n place of the cooking wine and it was very tasty. I also added some broccoli and mushrooms that went well with it too. Thanks for sharing.
Jan
Elaine
Hi Janice,
Thanks for your lovely feedback!! I am super happy to hear that.