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    Home > Dinner

    Black Pepper Beef

    Published: Apr 12, 2021 · Modified: Jun 21, 2021 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Go to Video Print Recipe

    Tender strips of steak, stir fried in a warming black pepper sauce with peppers and onions. This black pepper beef stir fry is a quick but luxurious dinner.
    I love serving it up with a big bowl of steaming boiled rice - dinner heaven!

    Close up of black pepper beef stir fry with red and green peppers in a bowl

    Jump to:
    • 📋 What do we need?
    • 🔪 How to make this beef stir fry
    • 🍽️ What to serve it with
    • 📺 Watch how to make it
    • 🍲 More fantastic stir fry recipes
    • Black Pepper Beef
    • 💬 Reviews

    Pepper doesn't just have to be used as a simple seasoning. Freshly ground black pepper has a beautiful warming flavour to add heat to a dish without the need for chillies.

    Two teaspoons of black pepper does sound a lot in a dish for four people, but it mellows in the sauce, so you get a gently heat, rather than the harsher heat of using chillies. My kids LOVE this dish (as do the rest of us!).

    📋 What do we need?

    Ingredients for black pepper beef stir fry on a wooden table.

    The steak: I like to use thin sirloin steaks as it's beautifully tender in this stir fry. You can use a cheaper cut if you prefer, just be sure to cut off any excess fat and sliced it thinly, against the grain.

    🔪 How to make this beef stir fry

    Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.

    Toss the steak strips in a little salt and 1 tsp of black pepper. Fry in a mixture of sunflower and sesame oil, then transfer to a bowl.
    To make the sauce, mix together cornflour, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, beef stock and a further tsp of black pepper.

    Fry up onions, peppers, garlic and ginger, then add in the sauce and bring it to the boil to thicken.
    Add the steak back to the wok and stir together to coat in the sauce and heat the steak through.

    6 image collage showing how to make black pepper beef stir fry.

    👩‍🍳PRO TIP This recipe makes enough sauce to coat the steak and vegetables with a little bit left in the wok. If you like your sauce a little thinner or want to make it stretch a little further, add a splash of water or a further splash of beef stock when adding the steak back to the wok.

    Serve the black pepper beef stir fry over a lovely pile of rice!

    Black pepper beef stir fry with red and green peppers in a black bowl with boiled rice.

    🍽️ What to serve it with

    • Fluffy boiled rice
    • Egg fried rice
    • Lighter cauliflower fried rice
    • Special fried rice

    I love to use thin sirloin steaks in this recipe for a bit of a treat. Sirloin is fantastic tender cut (no chewiness!), and if you buy the thin cuts it's not too expensive.

    Black pepper beef stir fry in a black bowl on a dark background.

    📺 Watch how to make it

    YouTube video

    🍲 More fantastic stir fry recipes

    • chicken stir fry in a bowl with rice
      Quick Chicken Stir Fry
    • Ginger beef and broccoli in a bowl with rice
      Spicy Ginger Beef Stir Fry plus video
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      Copycat Firecracker Chicken
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      Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe
    • Square image of kung pao chicken with rice
      Kung Pao Chicken
    • overhead of a Mee goreng (asian noodles) on a white plate with egg, chillies and lime slices
      Spicy Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles)

    Stay updated with new recipes!
    Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos).

    Black pepper beef stir fry with red and green peppers in a black bowl

    Black Pepper Beef

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    Tender strips of steak, stir fried in a warming black pepper sauce with peppers and onions. A quick but luxurious dinner!
    4.91 from 21 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Asian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 441 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    Black Pepper Steak:

    • 450 g (1lb) thin steak - , sliced thinly, against the grain (I use sirloin)
    • 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • 4 tbsp sunflower oil
    • 1 tsp sesame oil
    • 2 medium sized onions - peeled and chopped into thick slices
    • 1 green bell pepper - deseeded and sliced
    • 1 red bell pepper - deseeded and sliced
    • 2 tbsp cornflour - (cornstarch)
    • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
    • 2 tbsp oyster Sauce
    • 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine - (or replace with dry sherry)
    • 120 ml (½ cup) beef stock
    • 2 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
    • 1 tsp minced ginger

    To Serve:

    • Boiled rice

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Toss the steak slices with 1 tsp of the black pepper and the ¼ tsp of salt.
    • Heat 3tbsp of the sunflower oil and the 1 tsp of sesame oil in a wok (or large frying pan) over a high heat until hot, then add the steak.
    • Fry the steak for 2-3 minutes, moving it around the wok so it doesn't stick together, until browned.
    • Spoon out the steak into a bowl, leaving any oil behind in the wok. Turn down the heat to medium.
    • Add the remaining 1 tbsp of sunflower oil to the wok. Add in the sliced onions and sliced peppers.
    • Stir fry the vegetables for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
    • Whilst the vegetables are cooking, take a small jug and add the 2 tbsp of cornflour, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine, 120ml (½ cup) beef stock and the remaining 1 tsp of black pepper. Stir together to combine then put to one side.
    • Coming back to the wok, add in the 2 minced cloves of garlic and the 1 tsp of minced ginger to the vegetables. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.
    • Add in the sauce we mixed in the jug to to the wok and stir together. Let it come to a gentle simmer. If it looks too thick you can add in a splash of water.
    • Add the steak back to the wok and stir through to coat in the sauce. Cook for a further 2 minutes to heat the steak back through.
    • Serve the black pepper beef over boiled rice.

    Video

    YouTube video

    ✎ Notes

    Can I make it ahead?
    This recipe tastes best when cooked and eaten right away, but you can make it ahead if you prefer.
    If you do, I would definitely recommend you use sirloin, as it stands up better to the reheating process, whilst still being tender. The vegetables will be softer upon reheating.
    To make ahead, make the black pepper beef stir fry, quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day.
    Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to reheat it to take the chill off it, then reheat over a medium-high heat in a wok. Stir often to prevent it sticking and add in a good splash of water or beef stock to help loosen up the sauce.
    Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until piping hot throughout.
    Ingredient swaps
    • Swap out the beef for thin strips of pork or chicken
    • Add in other quick cook vegetables - such as thin strips of carrot, sugarsnap peas (snow peas), beansprouts (mung bean sprouts) and thinly shredded cabbage.
    How to scale up and scale down this recipe
    You can double or halve the recipe, sticking to the same ingredient ratios.
    If you're doubling the recipe, it's likely you'll have to cook the steak in two batches, otherwise the steak will sweat in the pan (rather than fry and brown) and will become chewy.
    Nutritional Information is per serving not including the serving suggestion of boiled rice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 441kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 25gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 1198mgPotassium: 545mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1065IUVitamin C: 66mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 3mg
    Keywords spicy, Takeaway food at home
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    This posted was first published in July 2015. Updated in April 2021 with some recipe tweaks, new photos and a video.

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Davey Houston says

      August 03, 2023 at 10:26 pm

      5 stars
      It turned out perfectly and delicious will make again!!

      Reply
    2. Carol Smith says

      July 15, 2023 at 12:04 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe! Have made it several times & it’s always delicious.

      Reply
    3. Tonya King says

      April 22, 2023 at 1:16 am

      5 stars
      Fantastic meal!
      I used velveted flank steak (thin slices tossed with 3/4 tsp baking soda for each pound of meat- let rest for 30 min).

      Followed recipe closely on sauce and seasoning! It was wonderful. I did add sugar snap peas, bean sprouts, and broccoli.
      Thanks so much!

      Reply
    4. Ms Zee says

      April 17, 2023 at 12:38 am

      5 stars
      Easy to make I’ll make this again 👍🏽I will try another recipe….

      Reply
    5. Kevin Bridgeford says

      March 13, 2023 at 1:46 am

      5 stars
      I made this dish and doubled the recipe for our large family and everyone loved it especially me the cook:)

      Reply
    6. Gary Blair says

      February 09, 2023 at 7:43 pm

      5 stars
      Superb. Had this tonight and absolutely put of this world.

      Reply
    7. DavidF says

      February 01, 2023 at 6:07 pm

      5 stars
      Incredible recipe. You knocked it out of the park. We subbed to your Youtube channel too. You've got the skills to really make in both Blogging & Youtube. Thanks for sharing your talents with the world.

      Reply
    8. Mari says

      October 04, 2022 at 10:41 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious as written!

      Reply
    9. Karen says

      September 16, 2022 at 3:30 pm

      5 stars
      This was good for a stir fry that doesn't have sugar. The family liked it. I had a lot of sirloin, and doubled the recipe. I'd add broccoli or green beans next time around.

      Reply
    10. marina says

      August 24, 2022 at 4:16 am

      5 stars
      amazing

      Reply
    11. Pamela says

      July 24, 2022 at 3:15 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious 😋

      Reply
    12. Kellie says

      January 24, 2022 at 2:43 am

      5 stars
      Very tasty sauce, pretty to look at this dish and very tasty. I think I would like to try it with some additional vegetables.

      Reply
    13. Kae says

      January 23, 2022 at 1:27 am

      Made this for dinner tonight with thin-sliced beef from Aldi. I had to double almost all the seasonings and Tripled the amount of broth. 2 tablespoons of cornstarch was TOO much

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        January 24, 2022 at 2:07 pm

        Hi Kae, tripling the amount of beef stock will of course dilute the other flavours in the recipe, so that would be why you had to increase the rest of the seasonings.
        Were you using two level tablespoons of cornstarch? That should be perfect for a sauce that just clings to the beef. There shouldn't be lots of sauce, just enough to coat the beef with a little extra in the pan.

        Reply
        • Rosemarie says

          February 10, 2022 at 9:35 pm

          Can I use vegetable oil instead of sunflower oil?

        • Nicky Corbishley says

          February 16, 2022 at 11:55 am

          Hi Rosemarie, any high-smoke point, flavourless oil should be fine.

    « Older Comments

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    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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