Pepper Steak Stir Fry
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Make restaurant-quality Chinese Pepper Steak Stir Fry at home with this easy recipe! From the super tender beef, to the incredibly flavorful black pepper sauce, to the crisp bell peppers and onions, this is a recipe you’ll want to make over and over again.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Pepper steak is one of my go-to dishes to order at my favorite Chinese restaurant. The tender beef, black pepper sauce, and crisp vegetables combine to make a dish that’s full of delicious flavors and textures.
When recreating this restaurant favorite at home, I knew that I had to use the classic Chinese technique of velveting the beef. This is the reason that the steak at Chinese restaurants is so tender.
It’s a simple technique that involves marinating the beef in soy sauce, mirin, cornstarch and baking soda. It’s incredibly easy, but makes a world of difference in the texture of the beef.
For this reason, and a few more, I know you’ll love this recipe!
- The sauce is so flavorful. At my favorite Chinese restaurant in San Diego, they serve pepper steak with a black pepper sauce. It’s so good, that I recreated it for this recipe and will now be finding every possible way that I can use it because it’s so delicious and made with just 5 ingredients!
- It’s easy to make. While the meat needs to tenderize for 30 minutes, after that, the entire recipe comes together on the stovetop in just 20 minutes. It’s perfect for a simple weeknight meal!
- The beef is so tender. No chewy meat here! Using the traditional Chinese technique of “velveting”, baking soda breaks down the muscle fibers in the steak and tenderizes it, so the meat literally melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this pepper steak recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Mirin – this is a Japanese cooking rice wine and is found in the Asian section of most grocery stores. It adds a slight sweetness, tang and umami flavor to the sauce and is used in the meat tenderizing marinade. If you can’t find mirin, rice vinegar, sake, or white wine can be used in it’s place.
- Soy sauce – adds saltiness and flavor to both the sauce and the beef marinade. I like to use a low-sodium soy sauce as I think it adds the perfect level of salt. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
- Cornstarch – used to help tenderize the beef in the marinade.
- Baking soda – the other half of the tenderizing combo in the marinade.
- Flank steak – this is my preferred cut of steak for this recipe, but skirt steak or top sirloin steak can also be used in its place.
- Oyster sauce – you can find this ingredient in the Asian section of major grocery stores. Even though it has oyster in the name, this sauce isn’t actually fishy tasting at all. It’s thick, sweet and salty. It helps thicken the sauce for this dish and adds a wonderful umami flavor.
- Sesame oil – adds a wonderful depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Black pepper – to season the sauce.
- Canola oil – this is my preferred oil for stir-fry’s because it has a high smoke point, meaning you can heat it up using a high temperature, and it has a neutral flavor. You could also use peanut oil or vegetable oil, both also have high smoke points and are commonly used in Chinese cooking.
- Red bell pepper and green bell pepper – feel free to use one or the other, or both.
- Onion – I recommend a yellow onion as that is the type of onion most commonly found in Chinese dishes.
- Garlic – I recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten-free soy sauce (tamari) and gluten-free oyster sauce.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Velvet (marinate) the steak. Add mirin, soy sauce, cornstarch and baking soda to a large zipper bag. Slice a flank steak into 1-inch strips and add them to the bag. Toss to make sure that the steak is completely coated in the marinade. Place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
- Prepare the black pepper steak sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin and black pepper. Set the sauce aside.
You do not want to velvet the steak for more than 60 minutes or the texture will go from tender to mushy.
- Cook the vegetables. Heat oil in a large skillet, or wok, on the stove over medium-high heat. Add diced bell peppers and onions, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set them aside on a clean plate or cutting board.
- Cook the steak. Turn the heat on the stove up to high and add more oil to the wok. Use tongs to remove the steak from the marinade and add it to the wok. Discard any remaining marinade in the bag, but do not rinse the steak before adding it to the wok. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic, and add the peppers and onions back to the wok. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the sauce. Pour the prepared sauce over everything in the wok and toss the steak and veggies in the sauce until they’re fully covered. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and becomes a glaze over the steak and peppers. Remove from the stove and serve with prepared rice or noodles. Optionally top the pepper steak stir fry with sesame seeds and diced green onions.
Serve it with
White Rice
Learn how to cook perfect white rice on the stove top, in an instant pot, or in a rice cooker with these tested and perfected methods.
Storage and reheating
Store Chinese pepper steak leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can reheat the dish in a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, or in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
More easy Chinese recipes
If you want to make your other Chinese restaurant favorites at home, don’t miss these popular recipes!
Chinese Pepper Steak
Ingredients
Beef Tenderizer Marinade
- 2 tablespoons mirin, *see notes below
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 pound flank steak, sliced into 1 inch strips
Pepper Steak Sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon mirin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetables
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup onion, sliced into 1 inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
Instructions
Tenderize the beef.
- Add the mirin, soy sauce, cornstarch and baking soda to a large plastic zipper bag. Add the sliced flank steak and toss to make sure it’s well coated. Place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. You do not want to velvet the steak for more than 60 minutes or the texture will go from tender to mushy.
Prepare the sauce.
- Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cook the vegetables and steak.
- Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to a large skillet, or wok, on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the bell peppers and onions, cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set them aside on a clean plate or cutting board.
- Increase the heat on the stove to high. Add the remaining tablespoon of canola oil. Use tongs to remove the steak from the marinade and add it to the wok. Discard any remaining marinade in the bag, but do not rinse the steak before adding it to the wok. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet, and add the peppers and onions back to the skillet. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the prepared sauce and toss everything together. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and becomes a glaze over the steak and peppers.
- Optional: Serve with prepared white or brown rice, or noodles. Top with sesame seeds and diced green onions.
Notes
- Mirin is a Japanese cooking rice wine and is found in the Asian section of most major grocery stores. If you can’t find mirin, rice vinegar, sake, or white wine can be used in it’s place.
- Flank steak is my preferred cut of steak for making this Chinese pepper steak, but you could also use skirt steak or top sirloin steak.
Nutrition Facts
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