A truly authentic recipe for Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry! Ultra tender steak slices cooked to juicy perfection in an aromatic mouth-warming pepper sauce.
It’s so easy to make, you can make it tonight!
Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry Recipe
I don’t often think of big and bold flavours when I cook something in less than 20 minutes. But this Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry hits ALL the right notes, from succulent beef to crunchy bell peppers in only 15 minutes!
And that’s not all!
Every inch of this dish is infused with a gorgeous black pepper sauce that gently heats up in your mouth. The moist beef is crowned with bell peppers that are perfectly soft on the inside and satisfyingly crisp on the outside.
Seriously, nothing is more comforting than scooping into warm rice topped with a stir fry fresh out of the wok. This is what your dinner could look like tonight: a fresh rice bed under beef glistening with black pepper sauce!
Which cut of beef do I use for stir frying?
Stir frying involves cooking over intense heat for a short time. To make the best out of this situation, any protein used needs to be tender and free of bones so it can be cooked quickly.
Ideal cuts of beef for stir fries include:
- sirloin
- flank
- skirt
- scotch
- tenderloin
- boneless short ribs
I suggest to stay clear of ribs and tails unless you plan to take the bones off!
How do you make beef strips tender?
The first step is to choose a tender cut of beef, but if that’s not available then there are certainly ways to make beef more tender. You can:
- Physically tenderise the beef. This is a method for tenderising meat quickly and perfect for tougher cuts like chuck and blade steaks. Grab your meat mallet and give the beef a good few thumps!
- Marinate the meat. Using an acid such as lemon/lime juice, yoghurt, buttermilk or vinegar can help to quicken the cooking process because it breaks down proteins and partially precooks the meat. Just make sure not to leave it in the acid for too long!
- Use salt. Cover the beef in salt to draw out moisture and break down proteins without compromising on the beef flavour. Give the meat a quick rinse and pat dry, then you’re ready to go.
- Slicing against the grain. Grandma and Mum always remind me of this step before any cutting. The trick is to find the direction the fibres are going in, then turn the knife to cut across them. This will break the fibres up into shorter lengths and make it easier to chew.
- Velveting the beef. This is a popular method used in Chinese restaurants. It involves marinating the beef slices in a corn starch slurry.
How Chinese restaurants get their beef so tender
I worked in a local family-run Chinese restaurant as a waitress for 3 years during my earliest days at university. Their secret to a beautifully silky stir fry was velveting the meat, which involved marinating beef slices in corn starch for at least 30 minutes (if not more).
The starch has a way of sealing in juices along with any added seasoning so that the meat remains tender, moist and packed with flavour.
I had often walked into the kitchen to see beef slices soaking in large round tubs in a corn starch marinade. The chef would then rinse the starch away and dry off any excess water before stir frying.
That is the secret to tender restaurant-quality meat.
So if silken beef is what you’re after, then velveting is a must!
What you'll need for Black Pepper Beef Stir fry
For the marinade
- 1/2 tbsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry; affiliate link)
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp sugar, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
For the Stir Fry
- 500 g / 1 lb beef (sirloin, flank, skirt, scotch, tenderloin or boneless short ribs)
- 2 tbsp black pepper sauce (affiliate link)
- 2 bell peppers/capsicum, sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 5 ginger slices
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- cooking oil
How to make Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry
The Marinade
Start by slicing the beef into 5 mm (0.2″) thick slices. Make sure to cut against the grain to avoid a chewy piece of meat.
Tip: If you look at the picture above, you can see the knife is perpendicular to the lines running across from left to right. That’s the direction against the grain.
Soak the beef in cold water for 1 minute to remove the blood then squeeze all the water out.
Marinate the beef with the white pepper, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, sugar and chicken bouillon powder.
Mix in well until it is sticky to the touch. There should also be no excess water in the bowl.
Pour in the egg white and mix then add the corn starch and stir until combined.
Add in the oil and mix until incorporated. This will prevent the beef slices from sticking to each other when cooking.
The beef stir fry
Add 5 tbsp oil into a hot wok and stir fry the beef until roughly 80% cooked. You will be tossing it in with the vegetables later, so there’s no need to overcook it.
Transfer the beef onto a plate.
Replace the wok with 2 tbsp new oil (or reuse the same one) and stir fry the garlic, onion, ginger and bell peppers for 2 minutes or until fragrant then mix in the black pepper paste.
Pour the cooked beef in and stir fry for another 2 minutes, then plate.
Serve immediately with rice or noodles!
More delicious Chinese stir fries
Excite your family with these quick and flavourful Chinese stir fries!
- Crispy Pork Belly Stir Fried with Asian Greens
- Eggplant and Pork Mince Stir Fry
- Stir Fried Pea Shoots with Garlic
- Stir Fried Water Spinach with Fermented Bean Curd (炒腐乳空心菜)
If you love your rice, then these side dishes are the perfect way to enjoy a meal with your loved ones. Make one or a few to share the fun!
Lots of Love,
Jeannette
Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry (黑椒牛柳)
Ingredients
For The Marinade
- 1/2 tbsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp sugar, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
For The Stir Fry
- 500 g / 1 lb beef (sirloin, flank, skirt, scotch, tenderloin or boneless short ribs)
- 2 tbsp black pepper sauce (affiliate link)
- 2 bell peppers/capsicum, sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 5 ginger slices
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- cooking oil
Instructions
The Marinade
- Start by slicing the beef into 5 mm (0.2″) thick slices. Make sure to cut against the grain to avoid a chewy piece of meat.
- Soak the beef in cold water for 1 minute to remove the blood then squeeze all the water out.
- Marinate the beef with the white pepper, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, sugar and chicken bouillon powder. Mix in well for until it is sticky to the touch. There also should be no excess water in the bowl.
- Pour in the egg white and mix then add the corn starch and stir until combined.
- Add in the oil and mix until incorporated. This will prevent the beef slices from sticking to each other when cooking.
The Beef Stir Fry
- Add 5 tbsp oil into a hot wok and stir fry the beef until roughly 80% cooked. You will be tossing it in with the vegetables later, so there’s no need to overcook it. Transfer the beef onto a plate.
- Replace the wok with 2 tbsp new oil (or reuse the same one) and stir fry the garlic, onion, ginger and bell peppers for 2 minutes or until fragrant then mix in the black pepper paste.
- Pour the cooked beef in and stir fry for another 2 minutes, then plate.
- Serve immediately with rice or noodles!
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If you recreated this authentic recipe, I’d love to see it! Tag @wokandkin on Instagram with the hashtag #wokandkin! See you there!
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I seriously loved it! Packed full of amazing flavors!
Thanks, Toni!
This is a meal I know my whole family will love! Sounds and looks absolutely delicious…nothing beats takeout at home.
I hope your family loves it just like ours does!
It was delicious! The whole family loved it. Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Colleen!
I’m always on the hunt for new stir fry recipes and this one looks like a total winner! Can’t wait to try it out tomorrow, I’ve got all the ingredients on hand!
Perfect! I hope you enjoy it!
Made this for my hubby and he loved it! We both did. Super good recipe.
Amazing, Krissy! Glad you and your husband liked it!
Hey Jeannette! This recipe is really mouth-watering. Yesterday, I prepared this recipe for dinner. Everyone at my home loved this recipe. It turned out to be super delicious.Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
You’re so very welcome, Ela! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed it!