# Chinese Pepper Steak



## Andy M. (Dec 9, 2010)

Here's my recipe.  I started with an Epicurious.com recipe and tweaked it to our liking.  This is enough for two.

*Chinese Pepper Steak* 
 
8 Oz              Flank Steak
4 tsp            Dark Soy Sauce
½ Tb             Cornstarch​ 1 Tb            Chinese Rice Wine 
2 tsp             Garlic (use a rasp grater)
2 tsp             Ginger (use a rasp grater)
¼ tsp             Salt
½ tsp             Sugar
2 tsp             Peanut Oil
1 Tb             Ketchup
1 Tb             Hoi sin sauce
2 tsp             Chile Garlic Sauce
4 tsp            Peanut Oil, divided
1 tsp             Salt
1 Ea                Bell Pepper, ¼” strips
½ C                 Beef Broth, optional
½ C            Scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp            Sesame Oil

Cut the steak with grain into 1½ - 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip across grain into ¼ inch-thick slices. 

Put the slices into a medium bowl with the soy sauce, cornstarch, rice wine, garlic, ginger, salt, sugar, and the oil and stir with a fork.   Marinate, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes and up to four hours.

Stir together the ketchup, hoi sin, and chile garlic sauce in a small bowl and set it aside.

Heat the wok over high heat.  Pour 2 teaspoons oil down the side of the wok, then swirl the oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides.  Add the salt and bell pepper.  Stir-fry to cook the pepper.  Remove to a plate.

Pour the remaining 2 teaspoons of the oil down the side of the wok over high heat, then swirl the oil, tilting wok to coat sides. 

Add the beef, spreading pieces in one layer on the bottom and sides as quickly as possible. 

Cook undisturbed, letting beef begin to brown, for 1 minute, then stir-fry until meat is just browned on all sides but still pink in center, about 1 minute. 

Add the cooked peppers, the scallions, the beef with any juices and the ketchup mixture.   Bring to a boil and stir-fry until well combined and heated through.  If the sauce is too thick, use some or all of the broth to thin it.  Conversely, if the sauce is too thin, simmer to thicken.

Toss with the sesame oil then transfer to a platter.


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## Janet H (Dec 10, 2010)

This looks wonderful - thanks for posting


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 10, 2010)

Yum...copied and pasted!  Thanks!


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## Zhizara (Dec 10, 2010)

Copied and pasted.  I had to do the email trick so I could adjust font and font size.  This one wouldn't paste into word, but did paste into an email message.  It's okay, but my print has "Yahoo" plastered across the top.  

Anyway, thanks for the recipe.  Now that I have it printed out I can take the time to read it through.  Looks really good.


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## thymeless (Dec 17, 2010)

Where's the black pepper? That's the traditional pepper in this dish as bell peppers are New World foods. Sure, I enjoy the bells in the modern interpretation too, but a generous dose of black pepper is what sends this dish. A little Sichuan pepper is good in it too.

Most versions also include some onion beyond just the scallion. 

The ketchup and hoisin sauce aren't standard either. If you like it that way, fine. 

Technique wise, this is also a classic dish for the passing through oil technique. It's very difficult if not impossible to stir fry thin slices of beef to proper doneness evenly on all pieces, especially if you want some rareness left. So the meat is usually par-cooked/blanched in moderately hot oil first (as in  a deep fry technique), then set aside to drain off excess oil. Then it is added to the vegies at the end just to come back up to temperature. 

Certainly food can be cooked in many good ways. Just pointing out some diversions in the above recipe from what I would consider the standard treatment.


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## Andy M. (Dec 17, 2010)

While this wasn't the recipe you were expecting,  I never said it was a black pepper dish.  This is a pepper steak dish of the type found in Chinese restaurants across the US.  

Perhaps if you did a search of Chinese recipe sites you will find the dish you are looking for.


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## Zhizara (Dec 17, 2010)

I don't really like black pepper so I wouldn't use it anyway.

I do like the rest of the ingredients.

I'm working on ideas for all the pork from the roast.  The sherry/water braising liquid really cooked into the meat, and there is about a cup+ left of the liquid.

I bet some would be good as jerky/bbqy something.


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## Constance (Dec 17, 2010)

This is one of my favorite Chinese dishes. However, we have a Chinese restaurant about 2 blocks from here where we can get that and many other favorites cheaper and tastier than we can fix at home. I'm talking a big plate full, plus soup and an egg roll for about $6. 
I don't know what's happened to me, but it seems like after I turned 60, I started getting lazy about cooking.


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## Zhizara (Dec 17, 2010)

Shoot, if I had access like that to good Chinese, I'd get lazy too.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 17, 2010)

Zhizara said:


> Shoot, if I had access like that to good Chinese, I'd get lazy too.


 
Me, too!


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## thymeless (Dec 17, 2010)

The pepper steak I've run into in restaurants has the black pepper and the bells as well. And the recipes in books specify the black pepper though it's not in the name itself.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Dec 18, 2010)

Its about regional cooking, Sichuan food is dryer and spicier than Cantonese.


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## Zhizara (Dec 18, 2010)

thymeless said:


> The pepper steak I've run into in restaurants has the black pepper and the bells as well. And the recipes in books specify the black pepper though it's not in the name itself.



I missed something here.  Bell's Seasoning?  Isn't that a lot like Old Bay?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 18, 2010)

Zhizara said:


> I missed something here. Bell's Seasoning? Isn't that a lot like Old Bay?


 
They meant bell peppers!


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## Zhizara (Dec 18, 2010)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> They meant bell peppers!



Funny, but I just don't like bell peppers anymore.  Old Bay Seasoning sounds pretty good.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 18, 2010)

Zhizara said:


> Funny, but I just don't like bell peppers anymore. Old Bay Seasoning sounds pretty good.


 
My grandmother would dice her bell peppers, so nicely, add them to the dish and when we sat to eat she would meticulously pick them all out.  She liked the flavor, but hated to eat them


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## Zhizara (Dec 18, 2010)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> My grandmother would dice her bell peppers, so nicely, add them to the dish and when we sat to eat she would meticulously pick them all out.  She liked the flavor, but hated to eat them



I hadn't had any peppers for awhile, they just got too expensive and I just learned to do without.

When I had the chance to buy some pretty ones at a reasonable price I started putting it into everything that I used to, and discovered I don't like the taste anymore.  It's just too strong.

Pepper too.  I over peppered one split pea soup too many and realized that everything had that flavor, and that it over powered the flavor of the food, so I pretty much stopped using it.  I had also gotten too heavy handed with all the spices, that I made a plain batch of split peas, by the package directions.  It was incredibly delicious.

I got the idea from one time I made up a batch of beans and forgot to add the onion and garlic.  It was refreshing to taste the beans without those other flavors we take for granted.


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## Uncle Bob (Dec 18, 2010)

I had a similar dish this past week....While there may have been a little black pepper in it  it certainly didn't play a major role...The "Stars" of the show were the meat and bell peppers.... Very good!!

Your recipe sounds delish Andy!! Thanks for sharing it!


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## Constance (Dec 18, 2010)

Did you know that those red (and orange) bell peppers that are so costly have more vitamin C than an orange? I buy them in late summer, when they are in season and less expensive, dice them into strips and/or 1" squares and freeze in ziplock bags. They hold their flavor quite well, IMHO.


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## Andy M. (Dec 18, 2010)

thymeless said:


> The pepper steak I've run into in restaurants has the black pepper and the bells as well. And the recipes in books specify the black pepper though it's not in the name itself.




Clearly you were expecting a different dish.  I hope you can find what you're looking for.  

Meanwhile, You may want to try my recipe, not as a version of the dish you expected but as a tasty dish.  It doesn't have black pepper in it but it's pretty tasty.  Call it Bell Pepper Steak instead.


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## Kayelle (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks for your recipe, Andy.  It sounds delicious to me and it's copied and printed to try soon.  There's no question there are a multitude of variations of *any* recipe but I for one, appreciate you sharing yours with us.
Sheesh.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Dec 19, 2010)

The reason I like this site is that people have got the xxxxx to post their recipe's or their spin on an original,slavish adherence stifles. Thanks Handy Andy.


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## letscook (Dec 19, 2010)

I love pepper steak but I do mine lil different - no set recipe sorry

beef of your choice about a pound of meat - sliced thin - marniated in a soy sauce while preparing everything else
large onion -diced medium
couple gloves of garlic chopped up.
1-2 green peppers sliced - sometimes green & red
(sometimes I add mushrooms)
can of beef broth or your homemade
cornstarch
salt & pepper

in hot pan and peanut or canola oil  saute meat till color changes
remove and then do onions, garlic, peppers salt & pepper till soften 
add meat and its juices it created back into the pan 
add about 2 tbl of cornstarch to the broth and pout into the meat mixture
stir  until thickens - add soysauce to taste, 
serve on white rice or fried rice.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 19, 2010)

My favorite Chinese restaurant, in Laramie, WY, made a Beef & Pepper dish with fresh tomato wedges tossed in at the last minute.  It was so good, the restaurant is now closed.  Andy's sounds alot like that recipe!


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## Andy M. (Dec 19, 2010)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> My favorite Chinese restaurant, in Laramie, WY, made a Beef & Pepper dish with fresh tomato wedges tossed in at the last minute.  It was so good, the restaurant is now closed.  Andy's sounds alot like that recipe!




Sometimes I add some onion or sliced mushrooms.  It all depends on what I have on hand and how lazy I am that day.

I'll have to try tomato sometime.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 19, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> Sometimes I add some onion or sliced mushrooms. It all depends on what I have on hand and how lazy I am that day.
> 
> I'll have to try tomato sometime.


 
The tomato was cooked just enough to be softened.  All of the veg were in chunks, easy to eat with chopsticks.  The onions and peppers were about a 1/2 inch slice, tomatoes about 1 inch.

I've come close to the dish, but never spot on.


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## CharlieD (Dec 19, 2010)

What does it mean?  





Andy M. said:


> ....
> _Cut the steak with grain_...


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## Andy M. (Dec 19, 2010)

Charlie, you can see the grain of the meat (the muscle fibers).  The instructions is to make cuts parallel to the muscle fibers.


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## taxlady (Dec 19, 2010)

CharlieD said:


> What does it mean?



"Cut the steak with grain..."

It means to cut the meat in the same direction as the muscle fibres. It leaves the fibres long.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Dec 20, 2010)

Tip Freeze beef half way then cut to get thin slices.
Beef, Peppers black bean sauce.
Hot wok, toss in chunks of green peppers, same size chunks of onions, thin sliced ginger stir fry, then chopped garlic, then beef, then black been sauce, a little stock, if you have prepped everything it should take 7 mins.


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## msmofet (Dec 20, 2010)

If you cut WITH the grain isn't the meat tough? I always cut meats like flank steak or corned beef against/across the grain so it will be tender.


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## Andy M. (Dec 20, 2010)

msmofet said:


> If you cut WITH the grain isn't the meat tough? I always cut meats like flank steak or corned beef against/across the grain so it will be tender.




You are correct, BUT, That's only the first of two cuts.  After cutting with the grain, you end up with 4-6 strips as long as the whole flank steak.  Then you make cuts across the grain of the strips to make 1/4" thick slices.  it ends up very tender.

You could also slice the whole flank steak across the grain then cut each strip in smaller pieces.  Same effect.


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## CharlieD (Dec 20, 2010)

Interesting. Don't thry usually want the meat cut against the grain?


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## taxlady (Dec 20, 2010)

CharlieD said:


> Interesting. Don't thry usually want the meat cut against the grain?



Yes, and when I read it I thought, "With the grain???" But, then I finished reading and realized that with the grain was just the first cut. It makes it easier to get uniform slices of thinly sliced meat, cut against the grain.


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## CharlieD (Dec 21, 2010)

Oh, one of this days I will learn how to pay atention and read the whole thing.


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## Andy M. (Dec 21, 2010)

CharlieD said:


> Oh, one of this days I will learn how to pay atention and read the whole thing.




Don't feel bad, Charlie.  When I first read the recipe I thought 'this is wrong' too.


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