Tender and succulent beef strips with a black pepper flavoured sauce, Chinese black pepper beef stir-fry can be made at home to a restaurant standard.
Once I was asked what is the difference between Chinese cuisine and Western cooking. I said:“Chinese cooks slice the food before serving whereas Western diners slice the food after being served.” I know it’s not true in all cases, but in general I think it’s correct.
Take beef steak for example. Instead of cooking a large piece, Chinese prefer slicing the meat to make a quick stir-fry. Today I’d like to introduce a classic dish using steak as the main ingredient: Black pepper beef stir-fry (黑椒牛柳).
What makes a plate of black pepper beef stir-fry stand out, in my opinion, is the succulence, tenderness of the beef strips and the generous use of freshly ground black pepper. To achieve the first goal, I have a few tips for you.
- Choose a cut of beef ideal for quick stir-fry. Flank steak and skirt steak are the best candidates.
- Slice the beef against the grain. Otherwise you will get a chewy, tough texture.
- Marinate the beef with classic Chinese marinade mixture which contains cornstarch, rice wine, soy sauce, etc.
- Keep the wok hot and move fast when stir frying. Follow the cooking sequence: First, quickly sear the beef then remove it from the wok. Fry the vegetables for a while then return the beef back to the wok. Overcooking will reduce the tenderness.
Cheaper cuts of beef (braising beef for example) are not ideal but acceptable for this dish. Just make sure to tenderize it with baking soda first (Chinese restaurant chefs usually do this). Afterwards, I always rinse the beef before marinating to reduce the unpleasant taste of baking soda.
Once you have the tender, succulent beef cooked, the last step is to stir in the sauce containing oyster sauce, soy sauce, and of course, lots of black pepper.
Compare to chilli, black pepper offers a more discreet sensation of hotness. It doesn’t burn you but its aroma will linger in your mouth for quite a while. For this beef stir-fry, be generous with black pepper and use freshly ground ones. This is what makes your dish exciting.
Onion and bell pepper are classic ingredients for black pepper beef stir-fry. However, you are free to use other vegetables too. Vegetables with a bit of crunchiness, such as broccoli, asparagus, celery and sugar snap peas, work very well.
Black pepper beef stir-fry (黑椒牛柳)
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 350 g flank or skirt steak - 12oz (see note 1 & 2)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger - julienned
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon water
You also need
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 onion - julienned
- ½ red bell pepper - julienned
Instructions
- Slice the beef into strips (against the grain). Mix with the ingredients for the marinade. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce then set aside.
- Heat up the oil in a wok over high heat. Sear the marinated beef until it turns brown (should still be pink inside). Transfer it to a separate plate.
- Add onion and pepper to the remaining oil in the wok. Cook for a minute or so.
- Put the beef back into the wok. Stir fry for another 1-2 minutes until the beef is fully cooked.
- Pour in the sauce. Stir until it becomes thick enough to coat the beef and vegetables nicely.
- Sprinkle more ground black pepper for more intense flavour (optional). Serve hot with steamed rice.
NOTES
- Mix ½ teaspoon of baking soda with sliced beef then leave for at least 30 mins
- Rinse the beef in 500ml / 2 cups of water with 4 teaspoons of vinegar. Then rinse again under running water
- Drain well before adding to the marinade mixture
NUTRITION
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
I did some slight adaptations… but… the whole family loved it. A minor miracle!! I went a bit light on the pepper accidentally, left out the ginger on purpose, and added garlic. I added snow peas, thinly sliced carrots and broccolini heads. I substituted rice for thin Asian-style egg noodles.
Happy to hear your adaptation! Yes, it works well with noodles too.
I tried back Pepper stir fry while on holiday and had to make my own. Yours tastes very similar to the restaurant! I added more water at the end to make more sauce, and a sprinkle of msg in the sauce. Doesn’t need however as it’s already delicious.
I’ll be making again!
That’s wonderful to hear!
Made this for my partner but i tripled the marinade and sauce quantities as i used a lot more meat. It was absolutely delicious! He said it tasted exactly like the pepper steak from the Chinese restaurant! Super happy with the result.
This was absolutely delicious! The only ingredient I didn’t have was rice wine. However, I just added a little more water and it was great! My husband and I devoured it with a little left over for lunch tomorrow 😊
Forgot to rate it!+
I tried this recipe and absolutelyu love it! Your whole blog is wonderful and has taught me so much about Chinese cooking. I made a goal to try one new recipe a week. My husband was so impressed he bought me a wok and all the necessary ingredients to make each dish.
Thank you very much!
One recipe a week! That’s a great resolution. Happy cooking Ann!
A winner. We ate it over fresh wonton noodles that I tossed in a bit of sesame oil. Added a bit more water to the pan at the end to increase the sauce a bit, but not taste was lost. Absolutely delicious. I am singing praises of your site online here in Canada.
Black pepper beef with wonton noodles, this sounds like a delicious combination. Glad you’ve enjoyed Kristl!