Ginger Black Pepper Beef Stir Fry

When you think of a beef stir fry, do you have flashbacks to a recipe you tried that had dry and chewy steak, with a sauce that was pretty lackluster in flavor?

I think we’ve all had that unfortunate experience.

But not in this recipe! The sauce that envelopes the beef is the perfect blend of savory, spicy, sticky, and sweet. If you find yourself licking any excess sauce off your plate… let’s just say you’re not alone in that lol.

Our local Chinese takeout restaurants don’t have a beef stir fry with this sauce, but it definitely tastes reminiscent of a comforting box of sticky takeout beef.

Making your own takeout stye meals is not only cost-effective, but you get to control the quality and quantity of the ingredients used.

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Soy sauce – I love to use dark soy sauce for the rich flavor and deep color, but regular (or low sodium) light soy sauce will work well too.
• Oyster sauce – if you don’t cook Asian-style recipes often, you may not have this, but it’s flavor is vital and hard to replicate. Oyster sauce is full of savory flavor, but with a hint of sweetness.
• Chinese rice wine – this may be labeled as Shaoxing wine, but if you can’t find it, a dry cooking sherry will work in a pinch (although the flavor will be a bit different).
• Beef broth – because of the other salty ingredients, I prefer to use a reduced sodium broth.
• Brown sugar – we use light brown sugar (since that’s what we keep on hand), but dark brown sugar will also work.
• Cornstarch – cornstarch is what thickens the sauce as it cooks in the skillet, so don’t skip it.
• Flank steak – this is a lean cut of steak that’s great for quick cooking.
• Black pepper – this recipe uses a lot of black pepper, but don’t worry, it’s what makes the sauce so special!
• Salt – there’s just a tiny bit of salt called for in this recipe, because the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and broth have plenty of salt.
• Vegetable oil – vegetable oil is used because it has a high smoke point, so you can really sear the beef without burning the oil. Avocado oil is a great substitute.
• Onion – we prefer to use yellow onion, but a white onion will also work well.
• Thai chiles – if you’ve never used these before, use caution, as they pack some real heat and spice! I’d definitely start with one, and you can remove the seeds and ribs of the pepper to help tone down the heat level.
• Mushrooms – we use white button mushrooms, but baby bella or cremini mushrooms (or even shiitake) are a great alternative.
• Garlic – if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, you can use a garlic paste (such as gourmet garden), or garlic powder. For the paste, I would use about 1 Tbsp, and for garlic powder, I’d use around 1 tsp.
• Ginger – just as with the garlic, you can use a ginger paste (I’d use about 2 Tbsp), or ground ginger (I’d use about 1 1/2 tsp).
• Snow peas – these are pretty classic in stir fries, but you can use snap peas as a substitute if you’d like.

How to make black pepper beef stir fry?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Make sauce. The sauce is whisked in a separate bowl to make it easy to combine, and due to the cornstarch. If you add cornstarch to a hot skillet, it’ll clump up.
2. Season beef.
3. Sear beef. You’re looking for a great golden brown color on the beef pieces.
4. Cook mushrooms. The mushrooms are cooked separately so they can get golden brown, without all the moisture from the beef or onions.
5. Cook onions and chiles. This won’t take too long, you’re just looking for the onion to be crisp tender and fragrant.
6. Add peas and aromatics. In this recipe, the aromatics are the garlic and ginger.
7. Add everything back to the skillet. The cooked beef, mushrooms, onion, and chiles.
8. Add sauce. Once the sauce is added, the whole stir fry should be cooked a few minutes, until the sauce is thickened to your liking.

Variations of this recipe

• Steak – I like the availability and relative inexpensiveness of flank steak, but if you’d prefer another type of steak, that should work well.
• Crispy beef – for a bit of a crispy crust on the beef, coat it with a bit of cornstarch or flour before cooking it in the skillet.
• Other protein – this sauce would be fantastic on chicken, pork, shrimp, or even tofu.
• Spicier or milder – feel free to adjust the amount of chile peppers and black pepper to your tastes.
• Sweeter – for a sweeter sauce, increase the amount of brown sugar, or you could add some honey.
• Wok – if you have a wok, this is a great recipe for it!

Making beef stir fry ahead of time

I think this recipe tastes best when made fresh, but the good news is, it’s a quick-cooking meal.

However, you can absolutely prep ahead!

• Beef – this can be sliced into pieces and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day or two.
• Sauce – the sauce can be whisked together (except the cornstarch), and kept refrigerated in an airtight container for a day or two.
• Vegetables – the onion, chile peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and ginger can be minced/grated, and kept refrigerated in an airtight container for a day or two.

Storage

Leftover beef stir fry should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 4-5 days.

Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet, adding a splash of beef broth or water to loosen up the sauce if needed.