Black Pepper Beef (黑椒牛柳)
Some things were made to be together: Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus, peanut butter and jelly, and the color red on a Ferrari are a few classics that come to mind. Whether you live in Boston, Bordeaux, or Beijing, you've probably sprinkled some pepper on your beef at one time or another, and it's a combo that works famously well. I love this Chinese take on peppered steak because it features the bold flavor of black pepper front and center. With big savory chunks of beef, sweet onions, and crisp green peppers coated in a glaze of oyster sauce, Chinese Black Pepper Beef has a satisfying balance of tastes, textures, and colors that are sharply accented by the smoldering heat of the crushed peppercorns.
This mashup between a Western steak and a Chinese stir-fry cuts back on the amount of meat you use. Still, the bite-sized pieces of steak are caramelized and savory on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It's precisely the kind of dish I crave when I have the occasional itch for steak. (I also have a version of this dish starring my favorite protein: Black Pepper Chicken.) Best of all, there's no need to fuss over cooking a thick slab of meat to perfection. Since the vegetables are included, they're loaded with flavor, and you only have one pan to wash at the end.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Rather than slice the beef into thin strips, I like to use a tender cut of beef and cut it into cubes; this makes it like eating bite-sized pieces of juicy steak.
- Potato starch in the marinade for this beef recipe helps lock in its juices. It also creates a thick glaze in the pan that seasons each piece of meat to perfection.
- The aroma of freshly cracked black pepper is citrusy and evergreen. It's an important component of this dish that you won't get with pre-ground black pepper.
Ingredients for Black Pepper Beef
- Beef - Although Black Pepper Beef is usually prepared with thin strips of beef, I like using cubes of good steak meat such as filet mignon, new york strip, or ribeye. Just make sure the cut of meat you choose is tender because the muscle fibers won't get a chance to break down in the brief marination time. This stir-fry will also work with thin strips of flank steak or skirt steak, but you may need to adjust your cooking time.
- Black pepper - Though black pepper (piper nigrum) is native to South Asia, it's been a favorite seasoning around the Old World for at least 2500 years. In India, it's use dates back at least 4000 years! These days, black pepper has become such a ubiquitous part of every kitchen that seasoning with salt and pepper is like a knee jerk reflex.
- Oyster sauce - I know fresh oysters can be a bit divisive, but the sauce made from them takes their best quality (their briny umami) and distills it down into an easy to use condiment. Oyster sauce has the perfect balance of sweet and savory tastes, but it's not fishy like fish sauce, which makes it one of my favorite go-to condiments for stir-fries. When selecting one, you don't have to be too picky. Just make sure the sauce you're buying actually contains oysters (or oyster extract).
- Shaoxing wine - This is a type of aged Chinese rice wine which adds umami and an earthy caramel flavor to the black pepper sauce. If you can't find it, you can substitute dry sherry.
- Soy sauce - While oyster sauce is the main seasoning, it has a lower salt concentration than soy sauce. This is why I like to add a bit of soy sauce, so the big pieces of meat and vegetables get properly seasoned.
- Toasted sesame oil - This is an oil that's made by pressing toasted sesame seeds. It has a strong nutty fragrance and tends to burn if overheated, which is why I add it to the black pepper sauce as a flavoring ingredient, not to the pan.
- Potato starch - As the name suggests, potato starch is starch that has been extracted from potatoes. It's added to the marinade to help seal in the meat's juices while thickening the remaining black pepper sauce to form a glaze. Potato starch is better than cornstarch in almost every way; in this case, it thickens the sauce without getting goopy.
- Garlic - Garlic is the main aromatic in this stir-fry, and together with the black pepper and beef, it shapes this dish's flavor profile. The key with the garlic is to not chop it too small; otherwise, it will burn before the other ingredients are cooked.
- Vegetables - Onions and bell peppers add a nice crisp texture and sweetness that go well with the beef. I like using a mix of red bell peppers and green bell peppers for color and the different flavors they bring to the dish. Be sure to cut these into squares that are about the same size as the beef to get distributed evenly.
How to Make Beef with Chinese Black Pepper Sauce
The first thing you want to do is crush the black peppercorns. You can do this by using either a mortar and pestle, or putting them in a heavy-duty bag and pounding them with a heavy object like a rolling pin or pot.
Next, make the black pepper sauce by whisking together the crushed black pepper (save a little bit for garnish), oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl. If you're making a large batch of sauce and storing it, you can stop here and bottle it up. However, if you're continuing on with the stir-fry, mix in the potato starch or corn starch until there are no lumps.
Add the cubed beef to the marinade ingredients and mix it all together. Let this rest while you prep the garlic, onions, and peppers.
Once you have all the ingredients ready, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until it's hot. Add the oil and garlic, and give it a few stirs before adding the beef in a single layer using tongs or chopsticks. You want to try and leave as much of the marinade behind in the bowl as possible, so don't just dump everything into the pan.
Once the beef has browned on one side, flip the cubes over and brown the other side.
When the beef has browned on at least two sides, add the onions and bell peppers and stir-fry the mixture until the onions start to turn translucent. Add the remaining black pepper sauce and toss everything together until the sauce has thickened around the beef and veggies.
Plate the black pepper beef stir fry, and you can garnish it with some additional crushed black pepper. For more easy Chinese dishes, check out my article, Easy Chinese Food Recipes: Take-out from Your Kitchen.
Other Quick Beef Recipes
- Negimaki (Scallion Roll-ups)
- Crying Tiger Beef with Nam Jim Jao
- Gyudon (Beef Bowl)
- Beef Teriyaki
- Mongolian Beef
- Broccoli Beef
FAQ
I used black pepper from the Malabar Coast in Southern India, but any whole black peppercorns will work. While the recipe will still technically work with pre-ground pepper, I don't recommend it as many of the nuanced aromas of black pepper start to vaporize as soon as the peppercorns have been crushed. That's why pre-ground pepper is never as fragrant as freshly cracked pepper.
You could make a big batch of this sauce and store it in a sealed container in the fridge for months. If you plan on storing it, I don't recommend adding the starch (you can add it in when you use it). This also makes the sauce more flexible as you don't always want it to contain starch.
Aside from stir-fries like this, the sauce is also a fantastic marinade for grilled chicken and steamed fish. I also like to use this for making stir-fried noodles, but if you're using it for noodles, be sure to omit the starch.
Although the two peppers are not related, they share a common history. Black pepper made its way to Europe first through the spice trade and became a popular seasoning for its ability to bring foods to life with its creeping heat. Due to its limited supply, black pepper became such a sought-after commodity that it was worth more than gold by some accounts. When explorers started bringing chili peppers back from the Americas for their decorative qualities, it didn't take long for people to figure out that the colorful fruits also had the ability to spice up food. What started off as a culinary knock-off of black pepper has taken on a life of its own in kitchens worldwide.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 6 grams whole black peppercorns (2 teaspoons)
- 350 grams beef tenderloin (or other steak cut, cut into ¾-inch cubes)
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon potato starch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 140 grams onion (~1 small onion, cut into ½-inch squares)
- 100 grams bell pepper (½ red, ½ green)
- 12 grams garlic (~2 large cloves, chopped)
Instructions
- Put the 6 grams whole black peppercorns in a mortar and use a pestle to crack the peppercorns coarsely. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, put the peppercorns in a freezer bag, and use a rolling pin to crush them.
- In a bowl, whisk the 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and most of the black pepper (saving a little to garnish). Add the 1 teaspoon potato starch and mix that in until there are no lumps left. Stir the 350 grams beef tenderloin in to coat evenly, and let it marinate while you prepare the vegetables.
- Once all the prep is done, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and then use tongs to add the beef in a single layer. Try to leave as much of the marinade in the bowl as possible.
- Fry the beef on one side until golden brown, and then flip each piece and fry the second side until browned.
- Dump the 140 grams onion, 100 grams bell pepper, and 12 grams garlic into the pan and turn the heat to high. Stir-fry, tossing the contents of the pan periodically to ensure everything cooks evenly.
- When the onions become translucent, add the remaining marinade and toss everything together until the black pepper beef is shiny and evenly coated with sauce.
- Serve with rice and garnish with the remaining black pepper (to taste).
Mie says
Our favorite recipe! It is much better than the black pepper beef served in fancy restaurants. Simple, clean without being greasy. It has been our go to recipe since we discovered it. Thank you Marc!
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks for the kind words Mie! I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying this.
Sherry says
Can we use corn starch ? Thx
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sherry, it tends to get more gummy than potato starch, but it will work.
john hughes says
24 grams of garlic is that to much or mistake
Marc Matsumoto says
The recipe calls for 12 grams of garlic. Did you click the 2x button to double the recipe?
Kathy Stroup says
So delicious and easy! That Megachef oyster sauce is truly magical. Thanks for turning me on to it!😁
Marc Matsumoto says
😁 I stumbled acrossed it at a Thai grocery years ago and it's been my fav ever since. They make fish sauce too!
Ren says
Delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Marc Matsumoto says
Happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know😄
Clara says
Fantastic recipe. Made this for dinner tonight, and was surprised by how much this tasted like something that came from a restaurant. It comes together fast...like really fast. Next time I will be better prepared for how quickly everything cooks once you add it to the pan! I really enjoy the crunch the veggies add, and combined with the softness of some rice, it really hit all of the right textures for me. Can't wait to make again!
Debbie says
This is an amazing dish! It's so simple yet so tasty! I made this yesterday for dinner and just finished my leftovers for dinner again today and I still want more. I definitely will be making this again soon! Thank you for the recipe!
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Debbie! Thank you for taking the time let me know. Have a great weekend!😄
Vicky Hill says
I made this using tenderloin for my husband's birthday party and everyone was raving about how amazing it was and better than a restaurant! Truly delicious!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Vicky, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to drop by and let me know😀
Gloria Orjuela says
I made this for tonight’s dinner. I substituted the shoaxing wine with Mirin and it was super delicious. I tasted the sauce prior to cooking and was concerned it was going to be too salty but I guess the cooking does something to it because it wasn’t salty at all! So delicious! I’m a pepper freak and I didn’t even have to add more to it!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Gloria, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this! Regarding the salt, it's a ratio between the salt in the seasonings and the vegetables and meat. A teaspoon of salt would be very salty if you added it to a cup of soup, but if you add it to a large pot of soup it would be just right. Same principle here.
Phyllis says
A hit with my picky teens that they actually fought over seconds! They even asked me to bookmark it, lol. We all loved this recipe! As with other recipes I've made from this site, it's super easy and full of umami.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks Phyllis, I'm glad to hear your family enjoyed it!
Heather Goyan says
This was amazing, thank you for sharing.
Marc Matsumoto says
You're welcome Heather!
Sarah Burden says
Hi Mark!
Sarah from Nebraska again. You were not kidding that you have so many recipes to share! I tried this one after receiving it in the email subscription. I made it for date night. I couldn't find the Shaoxing Wine, so I subbed Sweet Mirin for it. Oh my goodness, that sauce! I would put on cereal if I could, haha! Your video was super helpful too.
A solid five stars. I can't wait to try the next one! Many thanks 🙂
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sarah, Mirin is a bit sweeter than Shaoxing, but it has a similar flavor, so that was a good call! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed this, and I totally know what you mean about putting it on cereal😆 Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how it went!
Donetta Johnson says
Vegan. Do you have a substitute for Oyster sauce in the marinade?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Donetta, it won't taste exactly the same, but you could substitute 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (for a total of 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) and add about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
Joe Ankenbauer says
They make vegetarian oyster sauce. Most Asian grocers carry it.
Ritsuko says
Hi Marc, can you suggest an oyster sauce substitution?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Ritsuko, unfortunately oyster sauce is the main seasoning in this dish, so any substitution you make will change the taste of the dish. That being said, I think this would still be delicious made with soy sauce and a bit of sugar. I think 1-1.5 tablespoons of soy sauce + 1 teaspoon of sugar should be enough, but taste it as you go and adjust to suit your tastes.
Drew Liscomb says
Fermented black bean (douchi) might be interesting. As Marc said, it will end up being a different dish, as oyster sauce is pretty distinctive.
Marc Matsumoto says
Good idea!
Dick Dworak says
Sodium level?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Dick, you can see all the nutrition info by clicking the "nutrition" button in the recipe.
Evanz says
I like this recipe. It looks so amazing. Will give it a try this weekend.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!
Mickel says
wow your recipe is very interesting to try, i can't wait to try the recipe that you've taught at home soon. thank you for the recipe you've given
Marc Matsumoto says
You're welcome, I hope you enjoy it!
Nadine says
Lovely, feisty dish. Any advice on a side-dish to pair it with to bring a bit more balance in healthiness? (For western dishes I usually opt for a salad or some grilled veggies on the side but it doesn't work as well for Asian palettes...)
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Nadine, you can steam some Cruciferous Veggies (broccoli, rapini, etc) and then toss them with some oyster sauce. Or you could sauce some garlic and then add in some spinach.
Bobi says
I see you posted this a month ago. So, I'm not sure if you will even see this reply but how about a salad of shredded cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers with an Asian Dressing. My go to dressing is: 2 Tablespoons each of soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar plus 1 teaspoon of yellow hot dog mustard. Add in some ginger if you want (about 1 teaspoon or to taste).
Tim from Canada says
Brilliant!!! I love the linger of the black pepper. I used a good rib steak and can't get over how simple and delicious this is! Thank you Marc. I'm glad I found you online.
Jen says
This recipe is simply amazing Marc, thank you!!