How To Prepare Pepper Steak

What Ingredients For Pepper Steak Stir Fry Sauce

The Pepper Steak stir-fry sauce is exploding with complex flavor but is super easy to make. The ingredient list might seem a bit lengthy, but all you do is whisk everything together. Heres what youll need:

HOW DO I THICKEN THE STIR FRY SAUCE?

The cornstarch in both the sauce and from the beef marinade will thicken the sauce as it simmers with the bell peppers. If you still would like a thicker sauce, then just keep simmering until it reaches desired consistency, but take care not to overcook your bell peppers. For an even thicker sauce, make a slurry by whisking 1 teaspoon cornstarch in 2 tablespoons chicken broth then adding it to the simmering sauce. Repeat this step as desired.

HOW DO I THIN THE STIR FRY SAUCE?

Your stir fry sauce will thicken more the longer it is simmers. If it simmers to the point of too thick, dont worry! It is easy to thin by whisking in additional chicken broth or water.

HOW DO I STORE THE STIR FRY SAUCE?

Stir fry sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Shake it up or whisk it to recombine before using.

How To Cut The Steak Against The Grain

There is another way to enjoy a tender cut of steak, and its by cutting the Steak against the grain. The grains in the meat are the muscle fibers you will find thin lines running across the beef when you look closely.

If you cut the meat parallel to those thin lines, you will end up with a very chewy piece of meat. You must cut against the muscle fibers, and you do this if you are cutting raw or cooked Steak in both cases cutting against the grain will give you a tender slice.

To make cutting a raw steak easy and fast, you should use a sharp knife. Another tip to make the slicing of a raw steak easy is by freezing the Steak for 30 minutes and then cutting it into thin slices.

How To Make Steak Stir Fry

The method for homemade steak stir fry is easy and straightforward. Start with mixing the steak stir fry marinade, then sauté the peppers in a little oil in the pan. Remove the bell peppers and set them aside on a plate. In the same skillet, add the flank steak on one layer and cook on each side to sear the beef and continue to cook until cooked through. Add the bell peppers back to the skillet with steak and add the sauce. Simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, chopped herbs, and serve the beef stir fry immediately!

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Why This Recipe Works:

This recipe is easy but has so much flavor, tastes like a restaurant-style meal but is easily made at home.

The sauce has quite a few ingredients, but all are pantry staples and easy to assemble.

The slow cooking tenderizes the beef way more than cooking on the stovetop, and the sauce marries together during the long cooking time.

Pepper Steak Vs Beef And Broccoli

Beef and Broccoli has a more umami flavor than even Pepper Steak because of the addition of oyster sauce to the dish. Pepper Steak also has an umami flavor, but its milder and great for people new to Chinese dishes .

Pepper Steak primarily uses red and green bell peppers, while Beef and Broccoli use broccoli in the stir fry.

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How To Store & Reheat Pepper Steak

This easy Pepper Steak reheats wonderfully for lunches or dinners, just take care to not overcook it initially.

• How to store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• How to reheat in microwave: transfer small portions to a microwave safe dish, heat for one minute, stir then continue to heat at 30 second intervals.
• How to reheat on the stove: For larger portions, rewarm gently in a large skillet, stirring often. You may need to add a splash of water to thin the sauce as needed.

Some Considerations Before Adding Seasonings

Steak, like all proteins, has its own flavor profile that varies between cuts, quality, preparation, and, cooking method. Building on that natural profile is an art form that anyone can master if they practice.

A fatty steak like wagyu should be cooked with minimal seasoning and at a low temp. A strip steak, by comparison, can be grilled over an open flame, steeped in beer, and not suffer any real flavor loss because it has a denser composition.

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What To Serve With Easy Pepper Steak

Serve homemade easy pepper steak over your favorite steamed grains. Rice is a classic way to pair this dish, but you can also use quinoa, farro, or even cauliflower rice for a low-carb dinner. You can also round-out the Chinese-inspired dinner with fun sides like potstickers, soup dumplings or steamed Asian greens like bok choy.

The Pepper Steak Sauce

The sauce for the pepper steak is super easy to whip together and customize. I like to include cayenne for extra heat. Other optional add ons are oyster sauce, sesame oil, sherry, and other soy sauce alternatives. Try mixing in fresh scallions or chopped herbs.

That’s it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my pepper steak recipe. I love this recipe. Super tasty, and so easy to make! Easy is good. A perfect quick and easy weeknight meal. Your family will love it. You’ll have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. Wonderful!

Let me know how it turns out for you. I’d love to hear!

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Can I Add Other Vegetables

Chinese Pepper Steak is named for its two main ingredients bell peppers and steak- so essentially you need bell peppers in order to make Pepper Steak. That being said, if you dont have bell peppers on hand you can still make a steak stir fry just dont call it Pepper Steak . You can also swap one of the bell peppers for other vegetables.

If using other stir fry vegetables, you can mix and match based on whats in your fridge, your favorites, whats in season or whats on sale such as:

Tips For Tender Steak:

• Use a sharp knife. Sharpen your knife before slicing the steak to ensure buttery clean cuts.
• Freeze steak. Place your steak in the freezer 60 minutes before cutting. This will help it not wiggle beneath your knife so its much easier to slice thinly and cleanly.
• Slice steak into thirds. I recommend slicing your steak into thirds before you freeze it so you can work with one third at a time while the rest of the steak stays frozen.
• Slice steak across the grain. You want to cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers running through the steak in one direction so they become as short as possible and virtually undiscernible. If you cut with the grain, the fibers are left long which results in chewy, rubbery steak.
• Slice steak thinly. This goes with slicing your steak across the grain by slicing your steak thinly , you are shortening the muscle fibers which results in more tender steak.
• Use a hot skillet. Make sure your skillet is smoking hot before adding your steak so it will sear on the outside and remain tender on the inside.
• Dont overlap steak. Add steak to the skillet in a single layer to sear otherwise it will steam.
• Cook steak in batches. You will need to cook your steak in 2-3 batches so there is enough room for it to sear in a single layer.
• Dont overcook steak. Overcooked steak means tough steak. Dont cook your steak completely when searing because it will continue to cook when you will add it back to the skillet with the stir fry sauce

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VARIATIONS ON EASY PEPPER STEAK

• Sweet Pepper Steak: To give the recipe a sweet, teriyaki-style flavor, you can mix brown sugar into the sauce. 2 tablespoons of brown sugar should be plenty to get the rich, sweet flavor youre after.
• Seasonings: There are a variety of other spices you can add to the Easy Pepper Steak recipe. Garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, ginger, cayenne, and red pepper flakes would all taste amazing.
• Veggies: You can add to the stir fry with other kinds of vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, sugar snap peas, and mushrooms.

CROCKPOT PEPPER STEAK RECIPE

• To make Slow Cooker Pepper Steak, simply whisk together the sauce ingredients and the beef broth in the slow cooker.
• Then season the steak according to the recipe and place it in the crock pot so its coated in liquid.
• Add the peppers and onion.
• Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 5-6 hours.
• Add the tomatoes in the last 15 minutes of the cooking time.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH EASY PEPPER STEAK

Cut Against The Grain

Cutting the steak against the grain also helps keep it from getting tough. Even the toughest piece of meat becomes much tenderer when sliced against the grain. By cutting a steak against its grain, you shorten those long muscle fibers, making it much easier to chew. Before ever slicing into the steak, note its grain and make your cuts perpendicular with it.

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Chinese Pepper Steak That Is Restaurant Delicious But Easy To Make At Home

This Pepper SteakRecipe rivals your favorite takeout but is healthier and made with pantry friendly ingredients. It boasts buttery tender beef and crisp-tender bell peppers enveloped in a dynamic stir fry sauce infused with garlic, ginger, sesame oil and chili sauce. This Pepper Steak recipe is easy to customize and easy to make ahead then its just a quick stir fry to dinner! You can serve the Pepper Steak with rice or low carb cauliflower rice or zoodles along with homemade egg rolls and crab rangoons then youll never want to order Chinese takeout again!

Recipe Tips And Variations

• Yield: This recipe makes 6 hearty servings.
• Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Make ahead: The marinade can be mixed 1 day in advance. The peppers and onions can be sliced 2 days in advance .
• Freezer: Midwest Pepper Steak can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove to 165 degrees.

The Best Mashed Potatoes in the world are just 3 ingredients and so simple, they barely even need a recipe. No matter whats on the menu for the holidays, mashed potatoes

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How To Prep Chinese Pepper Steak Ahead Of Time

Chinese Pepper Steak has a few steps, but you can prep EVERYTHING ahead of time so all thats left to do at dinnertime is cook! Heres how:

• Slice steak: you can do this at any time before marinating or just before marinating then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• marinate your beef 30 minutes up to 8 hours before cooking.
• Make stir-fry sauce: whisk the ingredients together up to 24 hours in advance and store, covered in the refrigerator.
• Chop veggies: you can slice your bell peppers and onions, chop your garlic, and grate your ginger 24 hours in advance and store in separate air tight containers in the refrigerator.
• Cook! Now all thats left to do is stir fry within the next 48 hours without any of the prep!

Where Did Pepper Steak Originate From

Pepper steak is a dish that evolved from another Chinese recipe in the 1940s. The dish is known as Qngjio Ròus and is originally from the Hokkien cuisine.

Hokkien cuisine originates from the Fsuzhou, China. This cuisine emphasizes umami taste and is known to be light, yet flavorful.

This original dish was pork-based but evolved into the delicious beef dish we know today. It was also a lot more lightly seasoned than the flavorful Pepper Steak we have come to love.

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How To Cook Pepper Steak Without It Getting Tough

Pepper steak can easily get tough, especially when you use cuts like shank or chuck. These cuts come from the legs and shoulders of the cow, so the muscles are used a bit more than the sirloin and flank, for example. The more a muscle is used, the tougher the meat tends to be. But using certain preparation methods can make these cuts tenderer in almost any pepper steak recipe.

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Best Steak For Pepper Steak

Flank steak is traditionally used to make Chinese pepper steak, though you can use other cuts of beef. Skirt steak is just as good, or top sirloin. It’s not quite as tender as flank steak, but it has a more intense flavor. I’ve also made this with sliced ribeye and LOVED it, though it is more costly. It’s really hard to go wrong with sirloin steak and all those wonderfully flavorful cuts.

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Steak Stir Fry Recipe

This beef stir fry recipe is super easy and requires only a handful of ingredients. We like to keep the peppers a little crunchy to make the stir fry more filling. Make sure to check the way the grain of the meat is running. You want to cut the slices across the long lines of the grain for the most tender meat.

What Goes In It

A few stir fry ingredients along with a few ingredients you would typically find in any Jamaican cuisines for that added Jamaican flavour.

• Steak: Im using sirloin steak, which is considered one of the best steaks for making this dish. If you can get sirloin steak, you can also use flank steak or round steak.
• Bell pepper: It wouldnt be pepper steak without the bell peppers.
• Browning sauce: For that Jamaican effect, use browning sauce, but if you cant get browning sauce or prefer not to use it, you can also use soya sauce.
• Powder seasoning: Any meat, beef, or steak powder seasoning will do. For a taste of Jamaica, Im using Easispice all-purpose seasoning.
• Cornstarch: To thicken the gravy.
• Beef broth: There is a likelihood you may not need this as the meat will release water once it starts cooking, which may be enough water for this recipe. I used ¼ cup of beef broth and mixed it with the cornstarch before adding it to the pot.
• Green seasoning found in every Jamaican cuisine: scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, ginger, scallion and onion.

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How Do You Make Pepper Steak

• Thinly slice beef. You will want to slice your beef into ¼ slices no thicker. It is much easier to thinly slice your steak if you freeze it for 60 minutes or so however long it takes so it doesnt slide when cutting. The frozen beef defrosts quickly, so I will slice the beef in thirds and work with one third at a time while the rest of the beef stays in the freezer. The beef will continue to completely defrost in the marinade.

• Slice your beef ACROSS the grain. You can marinate your steak and slice it thinly, but if you slice it the wrong way, your meat will be chewy. When you look at your steak, you can see the muscle fibers grain running through the meat in one direction. You want to cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers so they become as short as possible, as opposed to parallel which will result in long muscle fibers and chewy, rubbery meat.
• . A marinade is crucial when using less expensive cuts of beef such as flank steak in order to break down the muscle fibers and tenderize the steak Our marinade will be thick and not your typical runny marinade. Let the steak sit at room temperature 30-60 minutes or even better, marinate in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours. If you do refrigerate your steak, make sure to let it come to room temperature, about 30 minutes before cooking. This will ensure it cooks evenly.

Ingredients For Pepper Steak

• Flank steak- you want to find a one pound flank steak that has some striations of fat, thats where the flavor is. Flank steak is a common cut of meat that you can find at most grocery stores.
• Olive oil- you use a little bit of olive oil to brown the pepper steak. Butter works, too!
• Dry RubSpices – this mixture of spices is a perfect combination of flavor. When it comes to the kosher salt, dont skip it, a coarse salt works best for tenderizing and flavoring meat.
• Brown sugar- the brown sugar is the sweet in the dry rub that balances out all of the savory spices. It also helps to caramelize the flank steak.
• Green onions- cutting green onions are a classic and traditional ingredient in most pepper steak recipes. You will be using the whole green onion in this recipe cut into 2-3 inch pieces.
• Green + red peppers- the pepper in pepper steak comes from the bell peppers that are sliced up and sautéd in the pepper steak sauce.
• White sesame seeds- sprinkling a finished pepper steak with sesame seeds adds just the right amount of crunch and nutty flavor.

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How To Make Easy Pepper Steak

This quick and easy recipe is a matter of a few simple steps. First, youll season the beef with paprika. Then, in a large skillet, use butter to sear the beef on all sides until brown. Add the beef stock and let this simmer for half an hour to develop intense flavor. Add sliced green bell peppers and onions and cook them in the broth until they soften. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce and cornstarch to make a slurry. Add this to the simmering broth, beef, and vegetables and stir it well. The sauce should thicken up quickly. When it does, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the pepper steak over rice.