China · Home-style
Stir-Fried Beef with Black Pepper
Strips of tender beef tossed over high heat with sweet onion and bell pepper and a lot of black pepper. Quick, savoury and fair to everyone at the table.
Black pepper beef is one of the first dishes many people learn, and the reason it never bores them is the contrast: the beef is seared hard and fast while the onion stays sweet and crisp underneath. Cut the beef against the grain and keep the strips uniform, because they all have to finish in the same two minutes. A commercial marinade is used here, and it does no harm to marinate longer than the packet says.
Ingredients
- amount of beef100 g
- amount of onion12 pieces
- amount of bell pepper12 pieces
- amount of salt1 g
- cornstarch3 g
- black pepper1 g
- peanut oil10 ml
Directions
- 1
Cut the beef into strips, ideally under 8 cm long, 5 to 10 mm thick and about 1 cm wide; the sizes do not have to be exact.
- 2
Marinate the beef in the marinade, mixing it evenly and leaving it to stand; follow the quantities and times on the packet. You can extend this but not shorten it.
- 3
If you are using a liquid marinade, add a layer of black pepper three minutes before the marinating ends, then add the cornstarch, mix again and leave for 20 minutes.
- 4
Turn on the heat, heat the wok and add the peanut oil.
- 5
When you can see a wisp of smoke coming off the oil, add the beef and stir-fry.
- 6
Turn up to just above medium and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the outside of the beef changes colour; any red showing means it is not done yet. Watch out for spitting oil here.
- 7
Add the onion and bell pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- 8
Add the salt, scatter over more black pepper and stir-fry for 30 seconds, mixing evenly.
- 9
Once the onion looks soft, turn off the heat, turn out and serve.
Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.