One of my very first blogging friends is Bee from Rasa Malaysia. In the early days of the blog, we used to chat on the phone after my kids went to bed about the technical side of blogging — silly acronyms like SEO, PHP, CSS and HTML. Back then (I say “back then” like it was decades ago, but in reality it was just 4 1/2 years ago!) there weren’t a ton of plug-ins and support forums weren’t available for food bloggers. Wow, have we come a long way! 

She asked me to write the Foreword for her brand new book, Easy Chinese Recipes, it’s a beautiful book with simple recipes that you’d find at your favorite Chinese restaurant, like Shrimp Fried Rice, Kung Pao Chicken and Homestyle Chow Mein Noodles. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Black Pepper Steak from her book. ~Jaden

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Hi all, I am Bee of Rasa Malaysia, a food blog about easy Asian recipes. I am extremely thrilled to be on Steamy Kitchen today, sharing a recipe from my cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes.” Jaden and I met some four years ago through our blogs; we also share the same publisher, Tuttle Publishing. I wanted to take this special opportunity to thank Jaden for writing the Foreword of the book and hervaluable advice when I was working on the project. Truth be told, I wouldn’t have done it if she didn’t tell me to “do it” when I got the offer!

Easy Chinese Recipes is a compilation of 80+ popular Chinese recipes: all-time favorites, Chinese takeout dishes, dim sum, dumplings, and more. Some recipes reflect my many travels in China and Hong Kong. Others are my interpretation of classic Chinese recipes, perfected through years of preparing them at home.

Black Pepper Beef is one of my favorite recipes in the cookbook as I love the combination of bell pepper and black pepper in Chinese stir-fries. These two ingredients, coupled with the right cut of beef—I like beef tenderloin, flank steak or flap meat—will often guarantee a successful dish. If you love the sweetness and slightly charred taste of caramelized onions, stir-fry the onions and bell peppers slightly longer before adding  the beef to the stir-fry. You will be rewarded with a richer flavored Black Pepper Beef. Enjoy! ~ Bee

Black Pepper Steak Recipe

If you are using Flank Steak - make sure you cut ACROSS the grain, otherwise the steak will be chewy and tough.
Serves 2 as a main dish with rice or 4 as part of a multicourse meal
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 - 4

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces (250 g) beef tenderloin, flank steak or flap meat, thinly sliced
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1/2 small green bell pepper, deseeded and cut into pieces
  • 1/2 small red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into pieces
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt, to taste

For the Marinade:

  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or sherry
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Instructions
 

  • Marinate the beef with all the Marinade ingredients, about 15 minutes.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat.
  • Stir-fry the beef until the beef is browned on the outside but still pink inside. Dish out and set aside.
  • Heat the remaining oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the garlic and the ginger until aromatic, and then add the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, and black pepper. Stir-fry until you smell the aroma from the ingredients in the wok.
  • Transfer the beef back into the wok or skillet. Stir-fry until the beef is cooked through and the center of the meat is no longer pink, about 1-2 minutes. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!