chinese pepper steak

03 Nov, 2026

From ChihYu at iheartumami.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb. skirt steak or flank, sirloin steak
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos or 2 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 2-2.5 tbsp tapioca starch or arrowroot starch

Aromatics & veggies

• 1.5 oz onion thinly sliced, or shallot
• Half one whole green bell pepper sliced to strips
• Half one whole red bell pepper sliced to strips
• 6 tbsp cilantro finely chopped

Sauce for pepper steak

• 0.5 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp coconut aminos or 1.5 to 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 oz garlic grated, 7 large
• 0.5 oz ginger grated, 4 tsp
• 1 tsp tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• Pinch coarse sea salt

Instructions

1. Thinly slice the beef against the grain. In a bowl, marinade the beef from coconut aminos to starch. Stir-well. Set them aside in the fridge for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

2. Prepare the onion, bell peppers, and cilantro. Set the shallot and bell peppers in one bowl and cilantro in a separate bowl.

3. Mix the pepper steak sauce from olive oil to salt. Set it aside ready to use.

4. In a well-heated large cast iron or skillet, add 1 tbsp avocado oil. Pan sear the beef over medium-high heat in one layer without disturbing for about 2 minutes or until the beef is in golden brown color. Use a spatula with a firm tip to flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds. Off heat, set the beef aside in one bowl along with the pan juices.

5. You should have some oil left in the skillet, if not, add 0.5 more tbsp of oil and reheat the skill until it feels warm. Add the bell peppers and onions over medium-high heat with a pinch of salt until the peppers are crisp tender, about 2 minutes.

6. Add the beef along with the juice back to the pan. Stir the sauce one more time then add it to the pan. Toss everything together for about 1 minute.

7. Turn off heat. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot or at room temperature with rice.

Notes

• If you like a sweeter sauce, add a bit of brown sugar or honey.

• Add a dash of vegan oyster sauce or worcestershire sauce to the beef sauce for extra depth of flavor.

• Chinese shaoxing wine or Japanese mirin: Add a teaspoon to the beef marinade.

• Add a few tablespoons of chicken or beef stock to make a bigger batch of sauce and use it as gravy with rice and vegetables to give them pepper beef seasoning.