Black pepper beef stir fry is a dish that can be found in most Chinese takeout restaurants. It uses very common Asian pantry ingredients and can be put together in under 45 minutes.
My inspiration around this dish comes from a Chinese restaurant I went to last week called Swatow restaurant located downtown Toronto. Whenever I go out to eat at a Chinese restaurant in the city I am quite skeptical. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how traditional all their plates were and would definitely go back if I was in the area.
The tender slices of beef paired with a thick black pepper sauce went perfectly with my bowl of fried rice. The perfect stir fry veggies to include in this are bell peppers and thinly sliced yellow onions. This recipe is perfect for those easy weeknight meals.
Important ingredients/steps for black pepper beef stir fry
Striploin steak: A striploin steak is preferred as it can be cut into strips and become super tender when cooked properly. Alternatively, I would recommend a tenderloin/filet but those are more expensive. A budget friendly option would be flank steak, but it doesn’t have the same texture in my opinion.
Baking soda: Baking soda is the key to getting your strip steak extra tender. You want to use about a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Let it marinate in the beef for at least 30 minutes before cooking to see the best results.
Black pepper: Since it’s black pepper beef, the black pepper is a key ingredient. I use course ground black pepper in packages from Costco, but you can use fresh ground black pepper too. Of course, adjust the amount to your personal preference.
Corn starch slurry: I pre-mix the corn starch slurry into my sauce which just makes like easier. The slurry will help thicken the sauce once cooked.
Easy Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs striploin steak
Vegetables
- ⅓ red bell pepper
- ⅓ green bell pepper
- ⅓ yellow bell pepper
- ⅓ large red onion
- 6 cloves garlic
Sauce
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ tbsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tsp corn starch
Instructions
- Prepare all your vegetables by slicing your peppers and onions into 1 inch squares, then rough chopping all the garlic. Set aside for later.⅓ red bell pepper, ⅓ green bell pepper, ⅓ yellow bell pepper, ⅓ large red onion, 6 cloves garlic
- Cut your steak into small ¾ inch cubes.1.5 lbs striploin steak
- Heat up your wok or pan over high heat then add some oil. Sear your steak and cook for 2 minutes and remove. The steak will cook very quickly since they are thinly sliced and you definitely don't want to overcook.1.5 lbs striploin steak
- Prepare your corn starch slurry by mixing water with corn starch.2 tbsp water, 2 tsp corn starch
- Add some more oil if needed then begin to sauté your veggies in the wok for 3 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper. To make life easier you can pre-mix your sauce beforehand.3 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, ½ tbsp black pepper
- After about 1 minute, once the sauce has warmed up, add your beef back in, stir for 2 more minutes to coat in the sauce then remove from heat and serve with chives.
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