Black pepper beef recipe
Black pepper beef with tender velvet beef stir-fried in a delicious black pepper sauce. Learn to make Chinese peppercorn beef ready in 30 mins!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 1 lb. skirt steak or flank, sirloin steak
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos or 1/2 tbsp soy sauce + 2 pinches of sugar
- ½ tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2-2.5 tbsp tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
For the vegetables:
- Half one whole red bell pepper dice to 1-inch cubes
- Half one whole green bell pepper dice to 1-inch cubes
- 3.5 oz yellow onion diced, half of one medium
For the black pepper sauce:
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder optional
- 1.5 tbsp peach jam or apricot am
- 1.5 tbsp coconut aminos or 1 tbsp soy sauce + 2 pinches of sugar
- 2 tbsp beef stock or chicken, vegetable stock
Other:
- 1.5 tbsp avocado oil divided
- Coarse sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Beef prep: Thinly slice the beef against the grain to a little thinner than ¼ thin slices. In a bowl, marinade the beef from coconut aminos to starch. Stir-well. Set them aside in the fridge for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.
- Prepare the bell peppers and onion in one bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine the black pepper sauce.
- Stir fry beef: In a well-heated large saute pan or wok, add 1 tbsp avocado oil. Pan sear the beef over medium-high heat in one layer without disturbing for about 2 minutes or until the beef is in golden brown color. Use a spatula with a firm tip to flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Off heat, set the beef aside in one bowl along with the pan juices.
- Saute vegetables: You should have some oil left in the skillet, if not, add 0.5 more tbsp of oil and reheat the skill until it feels warm. Add the peppers and onion with a pinch of salt over medium-high heat, saute for 1 minute.
- Add sauce: Return the beef to the pan and add the black pepper sauce. Toss to coat the sauce over for 1 min.
- Garnish and serve: Turn off the heat.Taste and season with a touch more ground black pepper and Sichuan peppercorn powder, if using. Serve hot or warm rice, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Ingredient Substitutions:
- Sichuan peppercorn powder: Swap with 1 additional teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper.
- Peach jam: Use coconut brown sugar as an alternative.
- Coconut aminos: Start with half the amount of light soy sauce + 2 pinches of sugar or use Oyster sauce.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Prep the beef: Slice and sprinkle with baking soda. Mix the marinade (oil, starch, soy sauce) separately. Marinate: Coat the beef with the marinade and let it sit for at least 10 minutes or refrigerate overnight. If not cooking the next day, store the beef and marinade separately.
- Storage: Refrigerate cooked leftovers for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month for easy meal prep.
- Reheat: Warm leftovers in the microwave on medium for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 504mg | Potassium: 404mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 19IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 2mg