Chinese•quick

Black Pepper Beef Stir-Fry

Beef stir-fried in black pepper sauce is a typical Cantonese cuisine and certainly a favourite takeout dish.

Ingredients

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 kg beef rump steak (preferably grass fed, trimmed and cut into 2 cm (0.8 inch) cubes)
3 clove garlic (peeled and finely minced)
2 inch ginger (peeled and finely grated)
1 medium red capsicum (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 medium green capsicum (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 medium brown onion (halved and cut into wedges)
3 spring onions (shallots, sliced into 11/2 inch pieces lengthwise (white and green parts))
2 tsp whole black peppercorn (coarsely ground )
2 tbsp medium dry sherry
Steamed rice to serve
2 tbsp baking soda (also called bicarbonate of soda)
1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup medium dry sherry
21/2 tsp salt
2 tsp potato starch (mixed with 1 cup water)
2 tsp potato starch
1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1
For tenderising the beef, add the baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) to the beef pieces, mix and rub well. Rest on benchtop for 30 minutes. Then wash thoroughly and drain.
2
Combine the tenderised beef pieces with the marinade in a large bowl and mix well.
3
Prepare and mix the sauce ingredients except the potato starch mixture in a separate bowl. Set aside.
4
Heat up a non-stick wok with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, pan-fry the beef on medium heat for 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove beef and set aside.
5
Add another 4 tablespoons of oil to the wok, then add garlic, ginger, and ground black peppercorn and stir-fry until black peppercorns are aromatic and garlic is lightly golden on low heat.
6
Add all the capsicums, onion, spring onions (shallots) and medium dry sherry and stir-fry for 1 minute on high heat.
7
Return the beef to the wok and stir-fry for another 2 minutes on high heat.
8
Then add the sauce mixture prepared in step 3 and stir-fry for 2 minutes on high heat.
9
Add the potato starch mixture and bring to a boil. Continue to stir-fry until the sauce thickens and the dish is heated through.
10
Serve immediately with rice.