Using simple, fresh ingredients, this easy Asian Style Pepper Steak dinner can be on your dinner table in 25 minutes tops! Made entirely in one pan, tender strips of beef are stir fried with peppers and onions, coated in a delicious Asian style sauce.
This Asian Style Pepper Steak is the kind of easy dinner that I’m all about! We’re talking a rainbow of bell peppers, onion and tender pieces of beef in a delicious Asian style sauce. So much flavor and so much versatility, can you believe it takes only 25 minutes?
Must Make Pepper Steak
- Easy To Make
- Takes 25 Minutes Start To Finish
- One Pan Meal
- Inexpensive
- Delicious & Versatile
You better believe it! In just 25 minutes, we have a classic Chinese takeout staple ready to serve. Plus, the ingredient list is fairly simple and cost effective!
Minimal prep, minimal cleanup, we’re only using one pan for this one, and delicious results, every time. All in all, this is an inexpensive, quick and easy meal that tastes even better than take out!
Ingredient Notes
- Steak – I used flank steak, cut into 1/4 inch thick strips. See “FAQs & Expert Tips” for more options.
- Soy Sauce – I opt for low sodium to control the salt levels.
- Red Wine – Opt for a dry red wine or substitute beef broth instead. See “FAQs & Expert Tips” for more info.
- Peanut Oil – This adds a nice flavor to the dish. Substitute olive oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil or avocado oil.
- Onion – Large white or yellow onion, julienned.
- Bell Peppers – I used both red and green bell pepper, julienned.
- Green Onions – Chopped.
Sauce
- Soy Sauce – Again, low sodium.
- Cornstarch – This is going to help us thicken the sauce.
- Red Wine – Use the same wine you did with the steak.
- Chicken Broth – I always use low sodium. You can also make your own chicken broth using my recipe!
- Sesame Oil – Regular or toasted.
- Brown Sugar – This adds a nice bit of caramelized sweetness to balance the flavors.
- Garlic and Ginger – Essential flavor enhancers in an Asian sauce.
How To Make Asian Style Pepper Steak
- Make Sauce: In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Marinade: Add the beef, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp red wine to a bowl, toss everything together and let it sit for 10 minutes to marinade.
- Cook Beef: Add the peanut oil to a wok and heat over high heat. The wok needs to be quite hot before adding the beef to it. Add the beef to the hot wok and cook for about 3 min over high heat until it’s lightly charred.
- Cook Veggies: Push the beef to the side of the wok and add the onion and peppers and cook for about 1 minute until the vegetables start to soften a bit. Add the green onions and stir everything together.
- Combine: Pour the sauce over the beef and veggies and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute until the sauce thickens a bit from the cornstarch.
- Serve: Serve over cooked rice.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
Nope! I chose flank steak because it’s fairly inexpensive and perfect for dishes like this. However, other cuts of beef you could use is sirloin, fillet or anything suitable for stir frying. I would not recommend using brisket, chuck or any slow cooking beef cuts.
It probably has to do with the cooking process! Overcooking can make your meat dry, but undercooked meat can become quite chewy.
When you’re cooking with red wine, a dry variety with plenty of tannins work best! “What is a tannin?” you may ask. Tannins are responsible for that astringent, mouth-coating feeling you get from biting into an unripe pear or plum, in this case – grapes. Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Shiraz are all excellent options. Use beef broth for a non-alcohol substituion.
I’ve kept this pepper steak simple and traditional, but if you want to add any ingredients feel free! Bean sprouts, celery, sesame seeds, snap peas, carrot and broccoli are great options!
There are a few options for this dish! Serve it as I did over a bed of rice, in a salad loaded with veggies, wrap it up in a burrito, or transform it into a stir fry with ramen or udon noodles. Whichever way you choose to serve this pepper steak, you’ll end up with a super flavorful meal!
Tips
- When you’re cutting the beef, make sure to cut against the grain which means cutting the beef 90 degrees to the direction of the fibres.
- Make sure your wok or pan is HOT before adding the beef to it.
- You can substitute the beef with your choice of protein. Chicken, pork and tofu can all be used as substitutes – just make sure you slice them into small bite-sized pieces!
- You can substitute beef broth for the red wine if you prefer.
Storing Leftovers
Your leftover pepper steak will last 3–4 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container!
Reheating
You can reheat your pepper steak either in the microwave, or covered in a pan over medium heat.
Freezing
If you want to keep leftovers longer, pop them into an airtight container and place in the freezer. Your leftover pepper steak will keep for 3–4 months in the freezer.
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Asian Style Pepper Steak
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak cut into 1/4 inch thick strips
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tablespoon red wine
- 4 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 large onion julienned
- 1 medium red bell pepper julienned
- 1 medium green bell pepper julienned
- 3 medium green onions chopped
Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅓ cup red wine
- ⅓ cup chicken broth low sodium
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger fresh, minced or grated
Instructions
- Make Sauce: In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Marinade: Add the beef, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp red wine to a bowl, toss everything together and let it sit for 10 minutes to marinade.
- Cook Beef: Add the peanut oil to a wok and heat over high heat. The wok needs to be quite hot before adding the beef to it. Add the beef to the hot wok and cook for about 3 min over high heat until it's lightly charred.
- Cook Veggies: Push the beef to the side of the wok and add the onion and peppers and cook for about 1 minute until the vegetables start to soften a bit. Add the green onions and stir everything together.
- Combine: Pour the sauce over the beef and veggies and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute until the sauce thickens a bit from the cornstarch.
- Serve: Serve over cooked rice.
Tips & Notes:
- When you’re cutting the beef, make sure to cut against the grain which means cutting the beef 90 degrees to the direction of the fibres.
- Make sure your wok or pan is HOT before adding the beef to it.
- You can substitute the beef with your choice of protein. Chicken, pork and tofu can all be used as substitutes – just make sure you slice them into small bite-sized pieces!
- You can substitute beef broth for the red wine if you prefer.
- Your leftover pepper steak will last 3–4 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container!
- If you want to keep leftovers longer, pop them into an airtight container and place in the freezer. Your leftover pepper steak will keep for 3–4 months in the freezer.
Oh my god ,this was amazing,added some golden syrup as had no peanut oil.
Will def cook this time and time again.
we love this recipe, serve it often to guests also.
Simple and flavorful! Loved it!
Absolutely delicious! Used beef broth instead of wine (didn’t have any). Better than take-out!
Absolutely wonderful!!!
Only used half the pepper … perfect 👌
Made this again last night, I used pork instead of beef, it was a winner.
I also added Bok Choy and we really enjoyed it.
I followed this recipe exactly and love the melding of different flavors in the sauce! I can taste everything- sesame, ginger, garlic and black pepper! Thank you!!
I made this with chicken instead of beef. So easy and delicious!
So glad you liked it!
we love chinese food, and this recipe is fantastic. it is also easy, I would just like to increase the sauce by 1/2, and who would have guessed that pepper made the difference.
Very delicious and easy to make. The only reason for the 4 stars is because it was too spicy/peppery for my family. I would cut the pepper in half – 1 tsp.
I can’t wait to try your recipe Joanna. Probably cook it tomorrow, when I do I will leave a new comment. Thanks for the recipe
My pleasure, hope you like it!
What can I use instead of wine? TIA
You can just skip it.
Do you have to use peanut oil?
You could use another oil, but peanut oil is great for frying because it burns at high temperature, around 500 degrees. You could use canola oil or another vegetable oil