This healthy 35-minute Chinese black pepper beef stir fry recipe is perfect for those busy weeknights.
Featuring tender marinated steak bites with sweet and crispy capsicums (bell peppers) and onions all tossed together in a rich and glossy black pepper sauce that is bursting with flavour.
Serve with some freshly steamed rice, and you'll have a complete and satisfying meal that will have you going for seconds! The perfect mid-week, restaurant-quality dinner at home!
Can't get enough of a good stir fry? Also try my popular beef noodle stir fry, 15-min mapo tofu or green bean and caramelised pork stir fry!
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Ingredients
- Beef - any steak cut will work, depending on your budget. Think rump, flank, scotch, porterhouse, chuck, etc. Since the velveting method is used, budget cuts are perfect to use (for the wallet and taste!) I used rump steak when shooting for this recipe. Alternatively, many supermarkets and butchers now sell stir fry beef strips - basically beef cut into strips for your convenience.
- Capsicums (bell peppers) - I like to use half a red and half a green capsicum for pops of colour. You can choose to just use a whole of either one. Red capsicums tend to be sweeter than the green variety.
- Shaoxing wine - a Chinese rice wine that adds depth and complexity to a dish. Substitute: dry sherry or white rice wine such as mirin. Alternatively, use beef, vegetable or chicken stock instead.
- Sugar - I prefer to use brown sugar for its molasses content which adds a layer of richness to the overall dish. Can also use white sugar and the difference is almost undetectable given only a small amount is used here.
- Oil - traditionally, Chinese cooking largely uses neutral-tasting oils such as sunflower, grapeseed or vegetable oil. However, often, I like to use extra-virgin olive oil (since it's the healthier choice) when cooking Chinese food and honestly I can barely taste the olive oil flavour. So feel free to use extra-virgin or light olive oil if you prefer. Note, I do not recommend this if you're making infused oils such as Chinese chilli oil!
How to make Chinese black pepper beef stir fry
One of the best things about making a stir fry is that everything cooks quickly and dinner is done in no time.
This moreish quick and easy Chinese black pepper beef recipe takes just 35 minutes from start to finish, including 15 minutes of marinate time. How good is that!?
There are 3 key components to a successful and delicious Chinese stir fry; preparation, heat and speed. Get these right and dinner will be incredibly mouthwatering, easy and fuss-free!
Head on over to my beef noodle stir fry recipe, where I explain the art of stir frying, the importance of the 'velveting technique' and exactly what and how to make beef stir fry tender in detail!
Prepare ingredients
To start, preparation is key. Wash and cut the vegetables and set those aside.
To make the black pepper sauce, in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornflour (aka corn starch), sesame oil, sugar, black pepper and water. Mix well until the cornflour has dissolved and is no longer clumpy. Set it aside.
Skip the store-bought Chinese black pepper sauce available at Asian supermarkets. Make the sauce at home, from scratch as it'll taste so much better! Way more flavourful and all it takes is some fundamental Chinese cooking condiments.
Cut beef into bite-sized cubes after you've trimmed off excess fat and any white fibrous chewy tissues.
To marinate the beef, in a large bowl, combine beef, soy sauce, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, cornflour, black pepper, oil, garlic and ginger. Mix well with a spoon or a clean hand for about 30 seconds to massage the seasoning into the meat.
Set aside and let it marinate for 15 minutes.
Once you've got all of the ingredients ready and the beef has had about 15 minutes to marinate, then you're ready to cook!
Stir fry on high heat
First, preheat the wok (or a large frying pan) over high heat. Once the wok is really hot, then add oil. This is particularly important if you're using a carbon steel wok as it'll prevent the wok from sticking.
Once the oil starts to smoke a little with visible rippling, add marinated beef.
Spread the beef out into a single layer without overlapping. Let it fry on high heat, undisturbed for about 45 seconds. This is very important!
Then, with a spatula, flip the meat over and let the other side sizzle on high heat for a further 45 seconds. Lastly, and quickly, remove the perfectly seared steak bites from the wok into a bowl and set aside.
By now, your kitchen should be filled with the most amazing aroma!
Frying the meat undisturbed over high heat is key to caramelisation and thus allowing the heat to create depth of flavour. Just like cooking a steak. minimal disturbance!
Without cleaning, in the same wok, stir fry onions, capsicums and garlic with a little oil over high heat.
Stir fry for about 2 minutes or until very aromatic, the vegetables are still crispy and the garlic deeply golden.
Add beef steak bites back in the wok, along with all of the juices (extra flavour!) Stir fry for about 15 seconds so the beef and veggies get to know each other.
Give the bowl of black pepper sauce a quick mix with a teaspoon or a (clean) finger. This is required as the cornflour would have settled to the bottom of the bowl by now.
Pour the black pepper sauce into the wok, add green onions (scallions) then toss for about 30 seconds or until the sauce becomes glossy and thick.
As you can see, everything happens very quickly when making this delicious black pepper beef stir fry! So remember - prepare everything in advance then cook with speed and high heat.
Healthy, nutritious and absolutely delicious. This flavour-rich dish is best served with freshly steamed rice. You'll have the lean protein, the colourful vegetables and delicious carbs to soak up all of the flavours through that glossy umami-rich sauce.
To up your vegetable intake add my quick and healthy, 10-minute spinach stir fry with garlic to the menu!
Yum!
Useful tips and tricks
- It's all about that 'wok hei'! Wok hei means breath of wok - a vital technique in Chinese cooking. It's what turns a simple prawn and egg fried rice into something so delicious with depth and complexity. So start with a very hot wok before you add anything to it. If you don't hear that loud sizzling sound as soon as the beef touches the wok then it's not hot enough! High heat = sizzling sound = flavour!
- Do not disturb the beef whilst it's in the wok sizzling. Constantly stirring makes meat release its juices from all sides and thus stopping the caramelisation from forming. The dish will end up tasting a little flat without a good caramelisation.
- Move quickly. After 2 minutes of stir-frying the capsicums and onions, the vegetables may still seem a bit too raw. Don't worry, it'll be just right by the time you plate it up so avoid overcooking it as it'll lose that sweet crispness.
FAQs
For the most umami-rich black pepper sauce, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, a generous amount of black pepper, cornflour and water. Cornflour will make the sauce all glossy and thick which will attach easily to the meat and vegetables!
By using the velveting technique as explained in detail in my beef noodle stir fry recipe! In essence, massage the beef with seasoning condiments with cornflour and oil then marinate for at least 15 minutes and finally, cook quickly over high heat.
A serving of this black pepper beef recipe is about 330 calories, making this a fantastic healthy and flavourful weeknight dinner choice!
Storage
Store in airtight containers and lasts up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer.
However, like many stir fries, this Chinese black pepper beef tastes best on the day, as soon as it's out of the wok!
Made this recipe? Let me know your thoughts or questions by dropping a note in the comments section below! I'd love to hear from you 🙂
Happy cooking and eating!
- Gen
📖 Recipe
Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry (黑椒牛肉)
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) beef cut into bite-sized cubes (note 1)
- ½ red capsicum aka red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized squares
- ½ green capsicum aka green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized squares
- 1 brown onion cut into bite-sized squares
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 spring onions cut into 4cm/1.5 inch lengths
- 1 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil eg. canola, sunflower or light olive oil
Beef Marinade
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine substitute: clear rice wine, stock or water
- 1 tablespoon neutral-tasting oil eg. canola, sunflower or light olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cornflour aka cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
Black Pepper Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon cornflour aka cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
Marinate beef
- In a large bowl, combine beef with beef marinade ingredients. Mix well and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Make black pepper sauce
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine all black pepper sauce ingredients. Mix well until the cornflour has dissolved. Set aside.
Make black pepper beef
- Add oil to a large, preheated wok or frying pan over high heat. Swirl the wok in a circular motion until well coated with oil.
- Once the wok is very hot (note 2), add marinated beef cubes and spread it out into a single layer. Sizzle over high heat for ~45 seconds without flipping. So no touching! With a spatula, flip the beef over and sizzle the other side for 45 seconds. Then, remove the beef into a bowl and set aside. (note 3)
- In the same wok (no need to wash), add capsicums, onion and garlic. Stir fry over high heat for ~2 minutes. Add beef back into the wok along with all the juices. Stir fry for about 15 seconds. (note 4)
- With a small spoon, mix the black pepper sauce again (the cornflour would have settled to the bottom of the bowl). Pour the sauce into the wok and add spring onions. Stir fry for a final 30 seconds until the sauce is glossy and thick.
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