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Beef Stir-Fry with Bell Peppers and Black Pepper Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "The Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"We discovered that in order to produce a stir-fry with velvety, tender beef normally only found in Chinese restaurants, we needed to choose the right cut of meat and treat it correctly. Flank steak, cut across the grain into bite-size pieces, delivered great beef flavor and a moderate chew. Adding some cornstarch to the marinade before flash searing the meat in a very hot pan finished the job of delivering supertender, restaurant-quality stir-fried beef. Crisp-tender red and green bell peppers complemented the beef with bright flavor, and scallions gave the dish a fresh, oniony bite. Bathing the dish in a Cantonese-style black pepper sauce tied all of the flavors together, balancing sweetness with a subtle heat. By marinating the beef, making the sauce, and slicing the vegetables in advance, this became a perfect weeknight meal that was in and out of the pan in under 15 minutes. When preparing the beef, freezing the steak for 15 minutes makes it easier to slice thin."

List of Ingredients

◦ 3 tablespoons soy sauce
◦ 3 tablespoons dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
◦ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
◦ 2 � teaspoons packed light brown sugar
◦ 1 pound flank steak, trimmed, cut into 2- to 2 �-inch strips with grain, each strip cut crosswise against grain into �-inch-thick slices
◦ � cup water
◦ 3 cloves garlic, minced
◦ 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
◦ 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
◦ 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
◦ 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
◦ 1 � teaspoons toasted sesame oil
◦ 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
◦ 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into �-inch-wide strips
◦ 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into �-inch-wide strips
◦ 6 scallions, white parts sliced thin on bias, green parts cut into 2-inch pieces


Recipe

Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sherry, 1 � teaspoons cornstarch, and � teaspoon sugar together in large bowl. Add beef to soy sauce mixture, stir to coat, and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Whisk water, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, vinegar, pepper, sesame oil, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons sherry, remaining 1 � teaspoons cornstarch, and remaining 2 teaspoons sugar together in second bowl.

Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of beef in single layer. Cook without stirring for 1 minute. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and remaining beef.

Return now-empty skillet to high heat, add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, and heat until just beginning to smoke. Add bell peppers and scallion greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are spotty brown and crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl with beef. Return now-empty skillet to medium-high heat and add remaining 4 teaspoons vegetable oil and scallion whites. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Return beef and vegetables to skillet and stir to combine.

Whisk sauce to recombine. Add to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

Serves 4






❧ To Make Ahead:
Marinated beef and sauce, prepared through step 2, can be refrigerated separately for up to 24 hours.