This incredibly simple Black Pepper Beef recipe is perfect for those busy days, providing you a hearty meal that is ready in less than 20 minutes.
Not only is it simple to make, it also tastes really good. You have the kick of black pepper and the punch of savoury beef sirloin slices, as well as healthy chunks of bell pepper.
Jump to:
Why you'll love this recipe
- This recipe is ready in less than 20 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
- Easy to make with few ingredients.
- It's versatile: you can pair it with noodles and rice.
- Easy to customize: you can add more veggies like carrots and broccoli.
- Make it spicy, add some chili flakes!
The Simple Sauce
The sauce of Black Pepper Stir Fry is the combination of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and a little bit of corntarch to help thicken the sauce.
The good thing about stir-fries, is you can easily adjust the sauce to your taste preferences by modifying or adding a bit of liquid during cooking.
Ingredients
- Beef: Choose tender cuts suitable for stir frying, such as sirloin, ribeye, or flank steak.
- Black pepper: Freshly ground black pepper offers the best flavor. Can be adjusted based on your spice preference, but the peppery kick is a defining element of the dish.
- Bell peppers: This recipe uses red and yellow bell peppers. You can use green or orange bell peppers.
- Onion: White or yellow onions works great.
- Garlic: We need about 3 cloves of garlic.
- Soy sauce: We are using less sodium soy sauce.
- Oyster Sauce: Adds umami flavour to the dish.
- Sugar: white or brown sugar works fine. This is to balance the flavour.
- Cornstarch and Baking Soda: To help tenderize the beef, we use this to marinade the beef.
How to make it
Step 1. Marinate the beef. In a bowl, combine the thinly sliced beef with black pepper, cornstarch, and baking soda. Mix well to ensure the beef is coated.
Step 2. Stir Fry Beef. In medium heat pan, melt butter and sear beef for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink. Once cooked, remove the seared beef from the pan.
Step 3. Add Vegetables. On the same pan, add bell peppers and onion. Stir vegetables for a minute until slightly tender.
Step 4. Add beef and sauce. Stir in sauce and add back seared beef. Mix until well combined.
Serving Tips
The quick and easy nature of this recipe make it best served together with rice or noodles. You can cook the rice/noodles while preparing the recipe, having both finished around the same time.
Storing & Reheating Tips
To store leftovers, make sure to cool them completely. Transfer the cooled stir-fry to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To freeze them, transfer in a freezer-safe and freeze up to 2 weeks.
When you're ready to enjoy the leftovers, reheat the Black Pepper Beef in a skillet or microwave until it's heated through.
Recipe FAQ'S
Absolutely! You can use other vegetables like carrots, snow peas, broccoli, or zucchini. Black Pepper Beef Stir fry is so easy to customized.
Yes, you can use pre ground black pepper for this recipe.
Stir-Fry Recipes
- Tofu and Mushrooms Stir Fry
- Tofu and Green Beans
- Hoisin Chicken and Broccoli
- Stir Fry Vermicelli Noodles
More Beef Recipes
Black Pepper Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb. beef thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon butter for cooking
Vegetables
- 1 small red bell peppers sliced
- 1 small yellow bell peppers sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small white onion sliced
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the thinly sliced beef with black pepper, cornstarch, and baking soda. Mix well to ensure the beef is coated and marinate for about 20-30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, black pepper, and cornstarch. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Add butter to a wok or large skillet. Add beef and sear for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Remove the beef from the pan and transfer to a plate.
- On the same wok, add garlic and sautè for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add onion and bell peppers. Cook for a minute until tender crisp.
- Add the beef back to the wok and pour in sauce (add 2 tablespoon of water). Toss until well combined and coated with sauce.
- Remove from the heat and serve with rice.
Notes
- Choose tender cuts suitable for stir frying, such as sirloin, ribeye, or flank steak.
- Freshly ground black pepper offers the best flavor. Can be adjusted based on your spice preference, but the peppery kick is a defining element of the dish.
- To help tenderize the beef, we use cornstarch and baking soda for marinade.
- We are using less sodium soy sauce.
Leave a Reply