Making Pepper Steak Recipe, Its Instructions, And Ingredients

A quick and simple recipe for pepper steak! A simple sauce with rich umami and peppery aromas is drizzled over soft slices of protein-rich sirloin steak, fresh, tender, crisp bell pepper, and onions.

Szechuan Pepper Steak

Weeknight dinners often consist of quick stir-fries, like this meaty, extra spicy Pepper Steak.

When you’ve had a hard day and don’t have much time to prepare dinner but still want it to be handmade and have flavor, this is a fantastic choice.

Here, the procedure is easy. We quickly sear the steak and vegetables before tossing everything in a flavorful sauce, and you can have supper ready in no time.

As with any recipe, it could take a little longer the first time, but as you get the hang of it, it goes quickly.

Everyone will be enthusiastic about this dish because it is wonderful and incredibly satisfying. And you didn’t have to prepare it for hours in the kitchen.

To top it off, serve it over brown rice or white rice. And for a quick time-saving suggestion, prepare a large amount of rice over the weekend and store it in portions in the freezer to avoid difficulty on days when you’re busy.

Ingredients For Beef Pepper Steak And Potential Alternatives

• Top sirloin steak: Flank steak works as well, I just prefer sirloin because it’s more tender.
• Low-Sodium Chicken broth: Be sure to use low-sodium broth or even unsalted so the dish isn’t overly salty.
• Shaoxing Wine: This is a game changer in this recipe, it’s a key ingredient in many Chinese dishes. You can find this Chinese cooking wine at Asian grocery stores or buy it online. In a pinch, dry sherry or rice wine may be substituted.
• Soy sauce: I like a bolder flavor here so I use regular soy sauce that’s not diluted with more water (which is what you’ll find with low-sodium soy sauce), but if needed you can swap.
• Rice Vinegar: If you are out, try another milder vinegar like white wine vinegar.
• Sugar: Brown sugar or honey work well too.
• Black pepper: I like a generous dose of this here. If you are sensitive to the hint of spiciness it has, you can reduce the amount.
• Sesame oil: Use the dark sesame oil found in the Asian food sections of grocery stores (not the lighter un-toasted option, it doesn’t have near the flavor).
• Cornstarch: You could try thickening with arrowroot starch instead if needed.
• Vegetable oil: Peanut oil or canola oil are good subs.
• Bell peppers: These are part of what gives the dish its name, so I think of them as a key ingredient for flavor. You could swap these out for other stir-fry vegetables but it just won’t be quite the same dish.
• Green onions: 1/2 a chopped yellow onion can be substituted. It would just need to be added along with the bell peppers since it’s much crisper.
• Garlic: In a rush, refrigerated garlic paste is fine.
• Ginger: Refrigerated ginger paste is fine here as well.

For the whole recipe with serving sizes and a print option, scroll down below.

Making A Pepper Steak

1. Tenderize steak: Place steaks on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and pound with the flat side of a meat mallet to help flatten slightly and tenderize.
2. Slice steak into pieces: Cut steak into 1/3-inch thick strips about 2-inches long. Dab steak dry with paper towels, separate pieces sticking together. Set aside.
3. Mix sauce ingredients: In a mixing bowl whisk together chicken broth, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, rice vinegar, granulated sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Set aside.
4. Preheat oil in skillet: Preheat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over moderately high heat. Drizzle in 2 tsp vegetable oil and add half the steak, quickly spreading apart into a single layer with space between pieces. Lightly season with salt.
5. Sear half of the steak, transfer: Let sear just about 45 – 60 seconds on the first side until nicely browned on the bottom, quickly turn and let brown on the opposite side about 45 – 60 seconds longer. Transfer to a sheet of foil or a plate.
6. Sear the remaining half steak, transfer: Repeat the process with 2 more teaspoons of vegetable oil and the remaining half of the steak.
7. Saute vegetables: Add the last 2 teaspoons of oil to the now-empty skillet and leave over moderately high heat. Add bell peppers and saute, only tossing occasionally, for about 3 – 4 minutes until slightly tender.
8. Saute aromatics: Add in green onions, garlic, and ginger and saute 1 minute longer.
9. Pour in the sauce, let thicken: Whisk the sauce mixture again then pour into the skillet. Let cook until it thickens.
10. Return steak: Toss in cooked steak. Serve warm.

Practical Advice

• If you don’t sear the steak in stages, it will simmer rather than brown. When I discovered the trick with meats—you don’t want to overcrowd it—it changed everything for me.
• For a better sear and browning, dab steak dries and cook over moderately high heat.
• Sear the beef only briefly. Steaks that are overcooked won’t be juicy and tender. It shouldn’t be red and raw, of course, but the interior should have a hint of pink.
• Just until the vegetables are crisp and tender. Stir-fry vegetables should never be soggy. They need to still feel lightly hard when you bite through them.
• Just long enough to thicken the sauce. Boiling the vegetables in the stir-fry sauce will just thin and dilute the sauce as the fluids from the vegetables are removed.

Additional Delectable Asian Recipes

• Broccoli and beef
• Chicken Cashew
• Stir-fried chicken
• Chicken Teriyaki
• Szechuan chicken
• Chili Steak

Pepper Steak

Prep

two hours

Cook

ten minutes

In 30 minutes, ready

Ingredients

• Top sirloin steak weighing 1 1/4 lbs.
• Low-sodium chicken broth, one-third cup
• Shaoxing wine, 1/4 cup (can buy it here)
• 3 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1-tablespoon rice vinegar
• Granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon
• 2 teaspoons black pepper, cracked
• Dark sesame oil, 2 teaspoons
• 1/9 cup cornstarch
• divided 6 teaspoons of vegetable oil
• Salt
• Cut one red bell pepper into bite-sized chunks.
• Cut one green bell pepper into bite-sized pieces.
• White portions of 6 green onions are thinly sliced, while green portions are cut into 2-inch pieces.
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

Instructions

1. Put the steaks on a chopping board, wrap them in plastic wrap, and pound them with a meat mallet’s flat side to help flatten and tenderize them.
2. Slice the meat into 2-inch long, 1/3-inch thick slices. Use paper towels to pat the steak dry to prevent the pieces from sticking together. Place aside.
3. Chicken broth, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, rice vinegar, granulated sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, and cornstarch are all combined in a mixing dish. Place aside.
4. A 12-inch nonstick skillet should be preheated over fairly high heat. Add the first half of the steak, immediately spreading it out into a single layer with space between each piece, and season with salt. Drizzle with 2 tsp of vegetable oil.
5. Shortly after the first side has attractively browned on the bottom, rapidly flip it over and allow the other side to brown for a further 45 to 60 seconds. Transfer to a plate or foil sheet.
6. Repeat the procedure with the second teaspoon of vegetable oil and the remaining steak.
7. Now that the skillet is empty, add the final 2 tablespoons of oil and place it over moderately high heat. Add bell peppers and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring only periodically, until just beginning to soften.
8. Sauté for an additional minute after adding the green onions, garlic, and ginger.
9. Re-whisk the sauce mixture before adding it to the skillet. Cook for a while to thicken.
10. Put the cooked steak in. Serve hot.

Notes

• Use unsalted Shaoxing wine and low-sodium soy sauce if you need to reduce your sodium intake.
• For food safety, the USDA advises cooking steak at 145 degrees in the center.