Pepper Steak

With Pepper Steak, the texture matters just as much as the sauce. I want the sirloin tender, the bell peppers still a little crisp, and the sauce thick enough to coat the beef and rice without turning into gravy. The three-hour marinade with cornstarch and a small amount of baking soda is what gives the beef that soft texture after a quick sear.

I learned that step when I was a sophomore in high school. A cook at a Chinese restaurant in Las Piñas showed me how they tenderized the beef before stir-frying it. I have been doing it that way ever since. My stir fried pepper steak is the quicker version when I do not want to wait three hours for the marinade.

Once the beef is marinated, the cooking moves fast. I cook the peppers and onion first, take them out, then sear the beef in batches so the wok stays hot. Do not crowd the wok. If the beef starts releasing liquid instead of browning, there is too much in there at one time.

What is Pepper Steak?

Pepper Steak is a Chinese-American stir-fry made with thin slices of beef, bell peppers, and onion in a savory brown sauce. The pepper in the name mainly refers to the bell peppers, so this is not supposed to be a spicy dish. Sirloin, flank steak, and top round can all be used, but I use sirloin here.

The texture is what I pay attention to. The beef should be tender, the peppers should still have a little bite, and the sauce should just coat everything. That is different from my garlic pepper beef in mushroom gravy, which uses a heavier roux-based gravy.

Why This Pepper Steak Recipe Works

• Baking soda in the marinade – A quarter teaspoon is enough for 1 pound of sirloin. Together with the cornstarch, it helps keep the thin slices tender during the quick sear.
• Cornstarch in two places – Some goes into the marinade to lightly coat the beef. Another tablespoon goes into the sauce so it thickens quickly once it reaches the hot wok.
• The vegetables cook first and come out – One minute is all the onion and bell peppers get, and then they wait on a plate. They only return for the last 20 seconds, so they never sit in the sauce long enough to go soft.
• Low-sodium chicken broth – The oyster sauce and soy sauce already add plenty of salt. Regular broth can make the finished sauce too salty.

Ingredients

• Sirloin – Any tender cut works, but sirloin is what I buy for this. Ask the meat counter to slice it thin if you would rather not do it yourself.
• Green bell pepper – Sliced. This is the less sweet of the two, and it is the one most restaurant versions use.
• Red bell pepper – Sweeter than the green one, and it keeps its color in the sauce.
• Yellow onion – Sliced, not diced. The layers separate in the wok in about a minute, which is how you know it is ready to come out.
• Garlic – Minced. It goes into the oil first and gets about 10 seconds before the vegetables land on it.
• Cooking oil – Divided. One tablespoon for the vegetables, two for the beef.
• Ground white pepper – Add this at the very end, after the sauce has thickened. A quarter teaspoon is enough for the whole wok, and I would not leave it out.

Marinade Ingredients

• Water – Loosens the marinade so it coats every slice instead of sitting in clumps.
• Cornstarch – Just over a tablespoon. Mix it in until you cannot see any dry powder left in the bowl.
• Oyster sauce – This seasons the beef and adds savory flavor to the marinade. You will use it again in the sauce.
• Shaoxing wine – Chinese rice wine, sold at Asian groceries and in the international aisle of some supermarkets.
• Baking soda – A quarter teaspoon and no more. Go heavier and the beef starts to taste soapy.

Sauce Ingredients

• Chicken broth – Low-sodium if you have it.
• Cornstarch – A tablespoon, whisked in until there are no lumps.
• Oyster sauce – A tablespoon and a half here, slightly less than the marinade gets.
• Shaoxing wine – The same amount as the marinade.
• Soy sauce – Use regular soy sauce, not dark and not sweet.
• White sugar – Half a teaspoon. It rounds off the soy sauce without making the dish sweet.
• Sesame oil – A quarter teaspoon. A little is plenty and more will take over the sauce.

Check the bottle when you buy Shaoxing wine. Some bottles sold as cooking wine already contain salt, while plain Shaoxing wine does not. If yours is salted, go a little lighter on the soy sauce and adjust the seasoning after the sauce has simmered.

1. Combine the sliced beef with the water, cornstarch, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and baking soda. Mix until the beef is evenly coated.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

1. Combine the chicken broth, cornstarch, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil in a bowl.
2. Stir well and set aside.

1. Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a wok over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 10 seconds.
2. Add the onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper. Stir-fry for about 1 minute, just until the onion starts to separate and the peppers are slightly tender but still crisp. Remove everything from the wok and set aside.

1. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons cooking oil in the same wok. Arrange the marinated beef in a single layer without overcrowding the wok. Work in batches if necessary.
2. Sear for 20 to 35 seconds per side, or until lightly browned and almost cooked through.

Almost cooked through is the point to stop at. The beef goes back over the heat with the vegetables and then simmers in the sauce, and those last two stages are enough to finish it.

1. Return the onion, bell peppers, and garlic to the wok. Stir-fry with the beef for about 20 seconds.
2. Stir the sauce mixture again to dissolve any cornstarch that has settled at the bottom, then pour it into the wok.
3. Continue stir-frying over high heat until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens enough to coat the beef and vegetables.
4. Add the ground white pepper and toss everything together. Transfer the Pepper Steak to a serving plate and serve immediately with steamed rice. Share and enjoy!

What to Serve with Pepper Steak

• Steamed rice – Keep this one simple. The thick sauce clings nicely to hot rice.
• Garlic Fried Rice – Sinangag, fried with plenty of garlic and best made from day-old rice.
• Egg Drop Soup – A light soup works well before the Pepper Steak, especially if you are serving several dishes.
• Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce – This gives you a simple vegetable side without adding another heavy dish to the meal.
• Pancit Canton – Stir fried noodles, for when you are feeding a bigger group.

Storage

• Refrigerator: Keeps 3 days in a covered container. The sauce sets up much thicker once it is cold and the peppers soften overnight. Reheat in a pan over medium heat with a spoonful of water to loosen the sauce again.
• Freezer: Up to 2 months. The beef and sauce freeze well. Bell peppers do not, and they thaw out limp. When a batch is meant for the freezer, cook the beef and sauce without the peppers and stir fry fresh ones when you reheat it.
• Reheating: A hot pan is better than the microwave here. Medium heat, a splash of water or broth, and stir until it is heated through. You can microwave it when you are in a hurry, just expect softer peppers.

More Beef Recipes

• Bistek Tagalog – Thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce and calamansi, pan fried and served under onion rings.
• Beef with Ampalaya – Marinated beef sirloin stir fried with bitter gourd, using baking soda in the marinade the same way this recipe does.
• Adobo Steak – Beef tenderloin cooked with an adobo treatment, using red wine vinegar rather than the usual cane vinegar.
• Creamy Beef with Mushroom – Beef slices simmered soft in a cream of mushroom sauce.
• Chimichurri Steak Bites – Seared cubes of beef with a fresh herb sauce.

• Shaoxing wine – Dry sherry is the closest match, the pale dry kind and not cream sherry. With neither on hand, leave it out and add an extra tablespoon of broth to the sauce.
• Oyster sauce – A vegetarian mushroom stir fry sauce is the nearest swap and works in the marinade and the sauce both. Hoisin is not a substitute here because it is far sweeter.
• Chicken broth – Beef broth makes a darker and heavier sauce. Water with half a beef cube dissolved in it also works.
• Yellow onion – White onion behaves the same way. Red onion is sweeter and bleeds color into the sauce.
• Ground white pepper – Ground black pepper, using the same quarter teaspoon. It is sharper and you will see the specks in the sauce.
• Baking soda – There is no direct swap. Leave it out, use a tender cut, and slice it thinner than usual. The beef comes out firmer but still good.

Serve this Pepper Steak while it is hot, with plenty of rice for the sauce. I like the beef very tender, but I still want the peppers to have a little crunch, so do not let everything sit in the wok once the sauce is done. Put it in the middle of the table with a pot of hot rice and let everyone help themselves.

Watch How to Cook Pepper Steak