Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry (黑椒牛柳)

 Sourced from: https://redhousespice.com/black-pepper-beef-stir-fry/

I tried making this with 1 lb of meat, and it ended up being too much for two people. 12 oz looks about right. I cooked the onions for a few minutes longer before adding the beef with some extra Shaoxing wine. I also forgot to add ginger to the marinade, but the dish was really delicious. May be worthwhile experimenting with reducing the cornstarch, but since I was using 1 lb of meat, I rounded up to 1.5 tsp (instead of 1.33 tsp) cornstarch for both the marinade and the sauce, and that may have led it to feel extra gluey. However, it seems weird to add cornstarch two separate times - maybe experiment with only having it in the marinade.

INGREDIENTS

For the marinade

• 12 oz flank or skirt steak, 12oz 
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp ginger, julienned

For the sauce

• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp water

You also need

• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 onion, julienned
• ½ red bell pepper, julienned

INSTRUCTIONS

• Slice the beef into strips (against the grain). Mix with the ingredients for the marinade. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
• Mix all the ingredients for the sauce then set aside.
• Heat up the oil in a wok over high heat. Sear the marinated beef until it turns brown (should still be pink inside). Transfer it to a separate plate.
• Add onion and pepper to the remaining oil in the wok. Cook for a minute or so.
• Put the beef back into the wok. Stir fry for another 1-2 minutes until the beef is fully cooked.
• Pour in the sauce. Stir until it becomes thick enough to coat the beef and vegetables nicely.
• Sprinkle more ground black pepper for more intense flavour (optional). Serve hot with steamed rice.