My version of pepper steak. It’s probably not technically stir fry if you were to ask someone from Asia. But it tastes good.

Annoying Story

I was hankering for a dish with black bean sauce. I first ran into black bean sauce back when I worked at Learjet, before going to seminary. I went to Lee’s Chinese Restaurant (in Wichita, KS) for lunch with a coworker who grew up in China, and he introduced me to the Chinese menu there. I don’t exactly remember what the dish was, but the black bean sauce was phenomenal. Afterwards, I found some black bean sauce at the store and made some tasty food with it. I tried to find it again, but nobody had the right sauce at the store. Sad days. Instead, I had to “settle” for my version of a Pepper Beef stir fry.

Recipe: Pepper Steak Stir-Fry

Information

Author: Fr. Matt
Course: Main
Cuisine: Asian
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 2
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Calories: 512 kcal

Description: My version of pepper steak. It’s probably not technically stir fry if you were to ask someone from Asia. But it tastes good.

Ingredients

Stir Fry

  • a bunch of green onions / scallions (about 6oz by weight)
  • 1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped into 1-in pieces
  • 1 to 1.5lb beef, thinly sliced or shaved
  • 2 tbsp. butter

Sauce

  • a dash fish sauce
  • 1 tsp. oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp. rice wine
  • 2 tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper (less if you are sensitive to spice)
  • 3-5 cloves garlic, minced
  • ginger, minced or ground (don’t know how much, just do what feels right, honestly, the ginger is optional for this recipe)
  • 2 or 3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp. light soy sauce

IF YOU DON’T HAVE DARK & LIGHT SOY SAUCE:

  • 4 tbsp. all-purpose soy sauce (Kikkoman or something like that)

Directions

  1. prepare all your ingredients before beginning to cook
  2. prepare sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients in a bowl
  3. heat the pan on high heat, the highest your stove can go
  4. melt the butter in the pan
  5. when the butter is bubbling and smells great, add the onion
  6. when the onion is just starting to brown on the edges, add the beef
  7. double check to make sure the stove is as high as it’ll go
  8. stir the items in the pan a lot (It’s a stir fry!!!)
  9. when beef is about 2/3 done, add the sauce and stir everything to combine
  10. after sauce is stirred in, add the green onions on top and let it all cook for a minute or so before stirring
  11. stir everything together
  12. keep stirring frequently
  13. when the beef is cooked and the sauce is nice and thick, you’re done!

Notes

Makes 4 servings when served with rice or 2 servings when served alone