# Chinese pepper steak??



## archer_456 (Apr 6, 2005)

Hello everyone, this is my first post, so be gentle, LOL. I finally got my wife to get over the dog and cat jokes that are associated with chinese foods, and now she is addicted to it like I am. Well, her favorite recipes are Pepper Steak and General Tso's chicken, and Egg rolls. So far I have been able to cook the Gen Tso's chk and egg rolls to near restaurant taste, my problem is the Pepper steak. I can cook it pretty well and we love it, but it's lacking the restaurant taste. Everything turns out perfect except for the gravy/sauce. My sauce turns out like a light brown sauce and semi thick not dark and clearish (restaurant stlye) looking, and it lacks that chinese distinctive flavour. Whats the secret?? 

The recipe I use calls for  Soy, cornstarch, sherry, ginger, garlic, red pepper (I added this for our own personal touch), green onions, steak, peppers and onions. I can post the step by step recipe if anyone thinks it would be more helpful.

Any help will be very appreciated.


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## Yakuta (Apr 6, 2005)

Archer my husband really likes pepper steak and here is how I make mine.  

Sliced Beef (I buy the precut, stirfry kind that comes from flank steak)
Green Bell Peppers sliced thinly
Yellow Onion sliced thinly
3-4 dried red whole arabol chillies
2 tbsp of oil
Chopped scallions for garnish

Sauce Ingredients:
2 tsp dark soy (makes a world of difference in color, try using that over the regular version)
1 tbsp of oyster sauce 
1 tbsp of hoisin sauce
1/4 tsp of sesame oil

In a large saute pan or wok, heat the oil.  When the oil is hot add the arabol chillies and then the beef and cook that on high heat until the beef is almost cook.  Now remove the beef and chillies with a slotted spoon and reserve on the side. 

In the same pan, add the  ginger and garlic and saute them for a minute.  Next add the onions and cook them on high for a minute.  Next add the peppers and cook them for another minute or two.  Now add the beef and sauce and let it all cook on high for a couple of minutes.  Garnish with finely chopped scallions and serve with rice. 

Note:  The cornstarch is what you want to omit from the recipe.  It makes the sauce thick and medium brown.  Without the cornstarch and with the addition of the dark soy, oyster and hoisin the sauce will have it's own body without any thickening agent added to it and it will be nice and dark brown and clear.


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## archer_456 (Apr 6, 2005)

Wow that was quick, LOL. Thanks for replying Yakuta. I will try that recipe out and see what it does. It is definitely different than my current recipe. 

Thanks, Tony


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## masteraznchefjr (Apr 7, 2005)

in chinese resturants for pepper steak they use baking soda to rub the steaks and den uses high power water to wash away the baking soda. that is what makes the steaks in chinese resturants so tender. If you see that the steak is cooked but really really red on the inside then they must have put a lot of baking soda. just random information


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## SierraCook (Dec 7, 2005)

I was going to make pepper steak tonight for dinner, but it did not happen.  So, tomorrow I might just have to make it using Yakuta's recipe.


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