Black Pepper Beef features thin cuts of beef stir-fried in a rich sauce with onions and bell peppers. It’s the perfect weeknight meal to bring the classic taste of Chinese-American takeout home!

Table of Contents

Black Pepper Beef consists of tender slices of marinated beef stir fried in a rich peppery sauce. It’s one of the staples in many Chinese-American takeaway spots, perfect alongside hot steaming fried rice.

Since the main flavor profile of this dish is black pepper, I’d highly recommend you use freshly-ground black pepper for this recipe.

Pre-ground works, no doubt (and it would still be delicious), the only caveat is that after a certain time of sitting in its pre-ground state, the peppers do begin to dissipate their natural oils and aromatics -which can leave them less flavorful compared to their freshly-ground counterparts!

Recipes like this one are always popular on the website, and for a good reason. It’s flavorful, ready in just under an hour, and equally as delicious as your local Chinese takeaway spot!

I always like to think of this recipe as divided into 3 components that ultimately come together in the end.

First, the marinade. You’ll need to marinate your beef in a mixture of sauces to not only give it flavor, but to tenderize it really well. You can do this while you prep the rest of the other ingredients.

Second, the sauce. This is usually introduced in the middle of cooking, where we let it simmer and reduce down into a thick, rich sauce for stir-frying.

Finally, the mix-ins. These are essentially all the aromatics and veggies that we’ll be including in the dish. It sounds like a lot at first, but trust me, go through the recipe instructions once (and maybe even the short video I’ve included below), and it will be pretty straightforward.

Once you master this recipe, most of the other takeaway recipes within this series will also follow a similar concept!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ian | Filipino & Asian Recipes (@iankewks)

What is velveting?

A popular technique in this recipe is used by many Chinese chefs, known as “velveting”. The process involves marinating the beef slices in a mixture of wine, cornstarch, and baking soda; which are then briefly fried in hot oil.

In this way, the resulting meat is smooth, silky, and juicy on the inside, ready to be stir-fried (or snacked on). The baking soda further helps in tenderizing the meat as it marinates, which is especially helpful for more tougher cuts of meat, such as flank.

Ingredients

Beef: There are many beef options you can choose for this recipe. The golden, and most tender cuts include rib eye and sirloin. I find that these give the overall dish the best amount of fat and flavor needed for a delicious stir fry!

Other equally as tasty cuts, which are conveniently more economical, include flank, skirt, and hanger. Now, because these tend to be more on the tougher side, prep work is crucial to ensuring your end result isn’t chewy. Here are two tips:

Slice the beef against the grain: The grain refers to the direction in which the muscle fibres are aligned. You need to cut “against” or perpendicular to those fibres to make it easier to chew.
Marinate the beef with baking soda: Baking soda raises the pH of the meat, preventing the proteins from bonding excessively when cooking -this keeps the meat both moist and tender. We only add 1/2 tsp to this recipe, but if you’re a bit more sensitive to the bitter tastes of baking soda, feel free to rinse the meat and pat it dry prior to cooking.

Beef stock: Using beef stock as the foundation ensures a hearty, full-bodied stir-fry sauce. You can substitute this with chicken and/or vegetable stock if you prefer. Water may also work.

Soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar: A mixture of these sauces provides the perfect amount of umami for any stir fry. Oyster sauce can be omitted if you have shellfish allergies. Dark soy sauce gives the sauce a deep, dark color; while the sugar helps to balance out the saltiness and savoriness of the dish.

Shaoxing Wine: Also known as Chinese cooking wine, this is made by fermenting glutinous rice, water, and wheat-based yeast. It adds depth to almost all Chinese and Taiwanese dishes.

*If you’re worried about alcohol content, don’t worry, since we use it minimally in this recipe. The alcohol also tends to cook off right away as we’re stir-frying the dish anyways. Otherwise, feel free to omit this ingredient altogether.

Cornstarch: Starch is used twice in this recipe. Once in the marinade, to aid with velveting the meat (see the “What is Velveting?” section above for more info); and the other which is added directly into our sauce as a thickening agent.

Ground black pepper: As mentioned above, since black pepper is the star of the dish, it’s highly recommended you use freshly-ground black pepper for this. Pre-ground still works, though it may not be as aromatic and sharp in flavor compared to when they’re freshly-ground.

Chicken powder: I got a lot of questions via DM’s about the addition of chicken powder. By powder, I’m referring to the instant chicken stock/broth mix. It’s PACKED with umami, which is why I add it to almost all my stir fry sauces.

Garlic, ginger: While very little in amount, these ingredients give our sauce depth. The fresh garlic is sharp and pungent, while the ginger is mildly peppery and sweet.

Bell pepper, onion: These provide a crisp texture that works perfectly with our beef. Be sure to cut these into large chunks to prevent them from being broken down in the sauce. I like to use a combination of both red and green peppers as well to make the dish pop visually.

Sesame oil: Sesame oil is almost always added at the final moments of cooking within Asian cuisine. The reason being is that the oil retains its bold, toasty flavor and aroma better when the heat isn’t as intense!

Instructions for Black Pepper Beef

Cut your beef into thin slices against the grain. Marinate this with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, oil, baking soda, and white pepper. Mix gently to coat the beef. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients together until smooth. You may also prepare the bell peppers, onions, garlic, and ginger at this stage.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Briefly fry the marinated beef on all sides until browned all over (you may need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding). Once seared, set the beef aside.

In the same pan, fry the onions and bell peppers for 2-3 minutes until lightly softened. Add in the garlic and ginger, and continue to stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Pour in the prepared sauce. Let simmer and reduce for about 1 minute until thickened slightly. Add back in the beef and pour in the sesame oil. Stir-fry for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the sauce coats and clings to the beef and vegetables.

Serve warm with rice and veggies. Enjoy!

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What cuts of beef can I use?

Popular stir-fry meats include either flank or skirt steak. They’re economical, relatively easy to find in most supermarkets, and tasty. For more high-quality meats with more fat content, you could also try rib eye (my personal favorite), sirloin, or NY strip.

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers can last up for to 4 days stored in an airtight container the refrigerator. To reheat, simply return the Black Pepper Beef to a wok/pan over medium heat, or microwave for 2-3 minutes until heated through.

Can I substitute this with another protein?

For sure, you can definitely substitute the beef with slices of chicken, shrimp, or even firm tofu!

Looking for more tasty takeaway classics? Here’s a couple of our viral recipes: