Chinese pepper steak with onions is a very simple dish to prepare. The secret of its deliciousness is that the black pepper should be fried separately and not added to the sauce. Also, the butter should be added only at the end. If you follow my recipe, you can enjoy it in less than 20 minutes and it’s better than in a Chinese restaurant.
Watch how to make:
Pepper Steak Recipe
You can’t imagine how easy and quick this one-pot recipe is. Just 4 simple steps: first, sauté the onion and garlic, second, add the beef and sauté briefly, third, add the sauce and green bell pepper and sauté, fourth, add the butter and serve immediately. Remember, don’t overcook the beef, it’ll get tough quickly.
Busy people can marinate the beef the night before and prepare the dish right after work. In less than 15 minutes, you can enjoy a low-calorie and healthy Chinese beef stir fry dish.
If you want to know how to cut the beef and how to tenderize it. You can check out my other post, “How to tenderize beef for stir fry.” You’ll find detailed instructions there.
Ingredients
- Beef – I use flank steak, but you can also use sirloin or tenderloin. More expensive cuts (such as filet) can also be used.
- Black pepper – Black pepper needs to be stir fried to get more flavor instead of adding it to the sauce.
- Garlic – this is a must for Chinese food.
- Onion – In this dish, we like the sweetness of the onion. Therefore, you need to cut the onion along the grain to get its sweetness.
- Green bell pepper – cut them into thin pieces.
- Butter – should be added to the pan at the end so you can taste the butter flavor. If you add it at the beginning, it’ll lose its flavor.
Beef Marinade
To marinate beef, you add soy sauce, baking soda, rice wine, and a beaten egg and massage it with your hands so that the beef absorbs the sauces and gets more flavor. Finally, add cornstarch and oil and marinate it for more than 10 minutes.
PRO TIP: The cornstarch and oil should be added last. The cornstarch does the job of sealing the marinade. The oil will keep the beef from sticking together when it’s pan-fried.
If you’re marinating more than 30 minutes in advance or marinating before the day, you don’t need to add the baking soda, cornstarch, and oil, just add them 10 minutes before cooking.
How to make
- Prepare the beef – To make the flank steak more tender, always cut against the grain direction. You can refer to my other post, "How To Velvet Beef For Stir Fry?" I'll show you how to cut the beef and how to tenderize it.
- Marinade beef – You add soy sauce, baking soda powder, white pepper powder, rice wine, and beaten egg, massage it with your hands so that the beef absorbs the sauces better.Second, add cornstarch and oil at the end and marinate them for more than 10 minutes.
- The onion should be cut along the grain to preserve its sweetness.
- Mix sauce: Mix soy sauce, ketchup, water, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium bowl until well blended. Set aside.
- Saute aromatics – heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the garlic – stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the beef – don't turn it, but wait 1 minute to stir fry it. This will give you a nice brown color. Stir fry for another 1 minute is enough. You don't have to overcook it. The meat is very thinly sliced and can easily overcook.
- Add black pepper – The black pepper needs to be stir-fried to add more flavor, rather than added to the sauce.
- Add sauce – Before you add the sauce to the pan, be sure to stir it well.
- Add green bell pepper and butter – When the sauce is boiling, immediately add the green bell pepper and butter. And stir them briefly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Then ready to serve.PRO TIP: The butter should be added to the pan at the end so you can taste the butter flavor. If you add it at the beginning, it'll lose its flavor.
How to store leftovers
- Store leftovers in the freezer for four months or in the fridge for four days.
- Freeze in single portions for a quick dinner on busy nights.
- If using bell peppers or other veggies, you may want to pick them out or they will get mushy.
- I love making a double batch of this recipe because it makes great leftovers to enjoy the next day.
How to reheat keto Pepper Steak
For best results, I recommend reheating leftover them in a skillet over medium heat. If you microwave the beef, it can become slightly rubbery.
Recipe substitution and variation:
- Meats: chicken thighs, breasts, and pork strips are great meat substitutions.
- Add veggies: if you’d like more vegetables, snow peas, broccoli and carrots are a great addition.
- Make it vegetarian: fried tofu, cauliflowers, and mushrooms.
More beef stir fry recipes:
★ PF Changs Mongolian Beef
★ Beijing Beef Panda Express
★ Szechuan Beef
★ Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry Recipe
★ Quick Asian Beef Ramen Noodles – 20 Minutes
★ Beef Chop Suey – Easy Classic Chinese Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
MARINADE BEEF:
- 0.45 lb flank steak (200g, sliced 1/4 inch thick)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper
- 1 tablespoon beaten egg
- 1 tablespoon rice wine, Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
THE SAUCE:
- 60 ml water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
STIR FRY:
- 1/2 onion, , sliced
- 1/2 green bell pepper , sliced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon blackpepper
- 5 g butter
Instructions
- Prepare the beef – To make the flank steak more tender, always cut against the grain direction. (Note 1)You can refer to my other post, "How To Velvet Beef For Stir Fry?" I'll show you how to cut the beef and how to tenderize it.
- Marinade beef – You add soy sauce, baking soda powder, white pepper powder, rice wine, and beaten egg, massage it with your hands so that the beef absorbs the sauces better.Second, add cornstarch and oil at the end and marinate them for more than 10 minutes. (Note 2 & 3)
- The onion should be cut along the grain to preserve its sweetness.
- Mix sauce – Mix soy sauce, ketchup, water, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium bowl until well blended. Set aside.
- Add the garlic – stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the beef and stir-fry for about 1 minute. You don't need to overcook. The meat is very thinly sliced and can easily overcook.
- Add sauce – Before you add the sauce to the pan, be sure to stir it well.
- Add green bell pepper and butter – When the sauce is boiling, immediately add the green bell pepper and butter. And stir them briefly, about 1 to 2 minutes. (Note 4)
- Ready to serve.
Video
Tips & Notes:
- Cut the beef against the direction of the grain so that the tissue can be separated and the bite is easier to make.
- The cornstarch and oil should be added last. The cornstarch does the job of sealing the marinade. The oil will keep the beef from sticking together when it’s pan-fried.
- If you’re marinating more than 30 minutes in advance or marinating before the day, you don’t need to add the baking soda, cornstarch, and oil, just add them 10 minutes before cooking.
- The butter should be added to the pan at the end so you can taste the butter flavor. If you add it at the beginning, it’ll lose its flavor.
Is it supposed to say 1 tablespoon, or 1 teaspoon black pepper? I LOVE black pepper, but one tablespoon made it seriously overwhelming.
Hi Karen, It’s a typo, 1 teaspoon is corrected. Thanks for correcting it.