Stir-Fried Black Pepper Beef with Green Peppers

Name: Stir-Fried Black Pepper Beef with Green Peppers
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1.5 tsp Cornflour; 2 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns; 1 large Green Pepper, cut into 2-cm dice; 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil; 1 tsp Granulated Sugar; 1 tsp Sesame Oil; 1 tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine; 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce; 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce; 1 medium Onion, cut into 2-cm dice; 2 Garlic Cloves, roughly chopped; 220g Cooked White Rice; 3 tsp Light Soy Sauce; 250g Sirloin Steak, or rib eye, sliced

by Ping Coombes

Beef

Dairy Free

25m prep time

35m total time

Easy level

14 ingredients

Stir-Fried Black Pepper Beef with Green Peppers recipe by Ping Coombes

This is quite a classic dish. Traditionally, in a Chinese restaurant, a cheaper cut of meat will be used and tenderised with bicarbonate of soda before stir-frying. The meat is tender but loses whatever it is that makes it beef. If you are going to make this, ensure you use good-quality beef, as the black pepper goes so well with it, making you reach for that second bowl of rice!

Method

Based on 2 servings, adjust as needed.

Step 1

To make it easier to cut the beef, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes, then remove and slice into 5-mm (¼-inch) strips. Coat the beef with the cornflour and a third of the light soy sauce, and set aside to marinate while you prepare the vegetables and sauce.

Step 2

Coarsely crush the whole peppercorns in a pestle and mortar. If you don’t have one, place them in a freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Step 3

In a small bowl, mix together the oyster sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, dark soy, sugar, sesame oil and the remaining light soy. Set aside.

Step 4

In a wok or frying pan, heat a splash vegetable oil over a high heat until it is smoking. Add the marinated beef and move it around the pan quickly, so that all the pieces are broken up and in one layer. You want to move them around the wok so the high heat sears the beef. Remove the beef after 30–40 seconds. You might still have some rare beef, which is what we are aiming for.

Step 5

Turn the heat under the pan down to medium and add the remaining table oil. Add the crushed black pepper and garlic. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them.

Step 6

Throw in the green pepper and onion. At this point, you can increase the heat a bit and fry for a couple of minutes so the vegetables soften a little but still remain crunchy.

Step 7

Add the beef back in along with the sauce and mix to incorporate well. Continue to cook for a minute until the beef is evenly coated with the sauce. I like mine still a little rare so that it will be tender and soft. You can cook it a little more if you like it well done, but be careful not to overcook. Dish up and serve with the rice of your choice.

Ingredients
Based on 2 servings

1.5 tsp Cornflour 1 x Sainsbury's Cornflour 500g
2 tsp Whole Black Peppercorns 1 x Sainsbury's Whole Black Peppercorns 100g
1 large Green Pepper, cut into 2-cm dice 1 x Sainsbury's Green Pepper
3 tbsp Vegetable Oil 1 x Sainsbury's Vegetable Oil 1L
1 tsp Granulated Sugar 1 x Sainsbury's White Granulated Sugar 1kg
1 tsp Sesame Oil 1 x KTC Pressed Toasted Pure Sesame Oil 250ml
1 tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine 1 x Yutaka Shaoxing Rice Wine 15cl
1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce 1 x Sainsbury's Dark Soy Sauce 150ml
2 tbsp Oyster Sauce 1 x Sainsbury's Oyster Sauce 150ml
1 medium Onion, cut into 2-cm dice 1 x Sainsbury's Onions Loose
2 Garlic Cloves, roughly chopped 1 x Sainsbury's Large Garlic
220g Cooked White Rice 1 x Ben's Original Jasmine Microwave Rice 220g
3 tsp Light Soy Sauce 1 x Blue Dragon Light Soy Sauce 150ml
250g Sirloin Steak, or rib eye, sliced 1 x Sainsbury's British or Irish 21 Day Matured Sirloin Steak 225g