Description
Pepper Steak is a flavorful stir fry dish featuring tender strips of steak coated with a savory, slightly sweet sauce enhanced with garlic, ginger, and bell peppers. Perfectly paired with fluffy cooked rice, this recipe delivers a satisfying meal with a balanced blend of textures and tastes.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Stir Fry
- 1 1/4 pounds strip steak, or flank steak or top sirloin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cups cooked white long grain rice
Instructions
- Prepare Sauce Mixtures: In a covered container, combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons cold water, shake well, and set aside in a cool place. In a separate medium bowl, mix together beef broth, chicken broth, low sodium soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, hot sauce, and ground ginger. Set this sauce mixture aside.
- Prep the Steak: Cover the steak with plastic wrap and tenderize it by pounding evenly with a meat tenderizer to flatten and tenderize. Trim off any large areas of fat and optionally fry the fat with peppers for extra flavor. Slice the steak thinly against the grain, pat dry, then season thoroughly with the meat seasoning blend.
- Sear the Steak: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the steak strips in batches for 3-4 minutes each, avoiding overcrowding to prevent steaming. Set the cooked steak aside to rest.
- Deglaze and Cook Vegetables: Add white wine to the skillet over medium heat, using a silicone spatula to scrape the brown bits off the bottom and sides of the pan. Let the wine reduce by half, about 3-4 minutes. Add sliced green and red bell peppers along with sliced yellow onion and sauté for approximately 3 minutes until slightly softened.
- Combine Sauce and Thicken: Pour the prepared sauce mixture into the skillet with the vegetables and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes. Shake the cornstarch slurry again and gradually stir it into the bubbling sauce. Continue cooking gently until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. Reduce heat to low.
- Finish the Dish: Add the seared steak back into the skillet with the sauce and vegetables, allowing it to heat through thoroughly. Serve the Pepper Steak hot over cooked white rice or with vegetable fried rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- White Wine: Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio are excellent for deglazing the pan. If you prefer not to cook with wine, substitute with an equal amount of chicken broth.
- Noodles Option: Replace the rice with 7 ounces of stir fry noodles or thin spaghetti added to the sauce at the end.
- Broth Flavor: Using both chicken and beef broth provides richer depth, but using all beef broth is also fine.
- Control Sodium: Opt for low sodium soy sauce and broths to reduce the salt content in the dish.
- Mushroom Addition: Sauté mushrooms separately and stir them in at the end for extra flavor and texture.
- Rice Cooking Tip: For perfectly cooked rice, boil 2 cups water with 2 chicken bouillon cubes, add 1 cup white long grain rice, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes, then let stand covered for 10 minutes.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
