~/recipes $ cat black-pepper-beef.md

Black Pepper Beef Stir-Fry

Velvet beef, fresh-pounded black pepper, oyster sauce. Hokkien noodles.

Prep20 minCook10 minServes2

Ingredients

Beef

  • 300-350 g rump or scotch fillet, sliced very thinly across the grain
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp neutral oil

Aromatic Paste

  • 1-1.5 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped or grated
  • small pinch salt

Sauce

  • 1.5 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1/2-1 tsp honey
  • 2-3 Tbsp water
  • 1/2 tsp cornflour

Vegetables

  • 1/4 red capsicum, sliced
  • 1 small brown onion, sliced
  • 1 bunch broccolini, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • as needed neutral oil, for cooking

Noodles

  • hokkien noodles

To Serve

  • optional black pepper, freshly crushed

Method

  1. Velvet the beef. Mix the sliced beef with the soy sauce, cornflour and neutral oil. Leave for 10-15 minutes.
  2. Make the aromatic paste. Coarsely crush the peppercorns in a mortar first, then add the garlic, ginger and salt and pound into a rough paste. Don’t make it completely smooth; you want some cracked pepper texture.
  3. Mix the sauce. Combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, honey, water and cornflour.
  4. Prepare the noodles. Cover the noodles with hot water until they loosen, gently separate them, then drain well.
  5. Sear the beef. Heat a wok or cast iron pan until very hot. Add a small amount of oil and cook the beef in batches so it sears rather than steams, about 30-60 seconds per side, then remove.
  6. Cook the vegetables. Stir-fry the onion and capsicum for 1-2 minutes. Add the broccolini with a small splash of water and cook until just tender but still crisp.
  7. Add the aromatics. Push the vegetables aside, add the paste and fry for 20-30 seconds until fragrant.
  8. Sauce and toss. Pour in the sauce and let it bubble for about 30 seconds. Return the beef, add the noodles and toss just long enough to coat everything and heat through.
  9. Finish and serve. Stir through the spring onion and serve immediately. Top with extra crushed black pepper if you want it punchier.