Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry (黑椒牛柳)

5 from 11 votes

Make authentic Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry in just 15 minutes. Enjoy tender steak cooked to perfection in an aromatic mouth-warming pepper sauce!

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Cantonese, Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 431kcal

500 g / 1 lb beef (sirloin, flank, skirt, scotch, tenderloin or boneless short ribs)
2 tbsp black pepper sauce (we use Lee Kum Kee's one)
2 bell peppers/capsicum (sliced)
1 onion (sliced)
5 ginger slices
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
5 tbsp cooking oil (3 tbsp for the beef and 2 tbsp for the vegetables)

Start by slicing the meat into 5 mm (0.2") thick slices. Make sure to cut against the grain to avoid a chewy bite.
Soak the slices in cold water for 1 minute to remove the blood, then squeeze all the water out by hand.
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 3 tbsp oil and mix until well incorporated. This will prevent the beef slices from sticking to each other when cooking.
Add 3 tbsp oil into a hot wok and fry the beef for 1-2 minutes or until roughly 80% cooked. You'll be tossing it in with the vegetables later, so there's no need to overcook it.
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!

Marinate the protein overnight. For the deepest flavor, make sure to give it time to soak in the marinade.
Take the beef out at least 20 minutes prior to cooking. Let it to come back to room temperature. Doing so will ensure every piece is tender because the muscles aren't tight from the cold.
Mix the meat in a circular motion. You'll get an even marinade.
Make sure the wok is hot. The beef will release its juices and end up being boiled if it isn't.
You'll find all of the sauces available in Asian supermarkets. If you can't find corn starch, it can be substituted for potato starch.
Go for a cut that doesn't have too much fat but also isn't too lean. You want each piece to have a beefy flavor and texture.