30-Minute Chinese Beef and Pepper Stir Fry
Beef and Pepper Stir Fry, also known as Pepper Steak Stir Fry with the authentic Chinese flavor! This easy recipe pairs melt-in-your-mouth sirloin steak with vibrant bell peppers, all smothered in a savory black bean sauce infused with garlic and ginger. Enjoy restaurant-quality taste right at home, all whipped up in less than 30 minutes. Best served over steamed rice.

Ditch the local takeout menu! Get yourself into making this authentic Chinese beef and pepper stir-fry, bursting with vibrant flavors. Often referred to as ‘pepper steak stir fry’, this dish is set to be your new dinner favorite.
With tender beef sirloin steak slices paired with fresh onions, both red and green bell peppers, and the unique taste of fermented black beans, it’s not only a taste delight but also a quick fix. Get this delicious dinner on your table in less than 30 minutes, faster than any delivery!
For lovers of stir fry, don’t miss these standout recipes: Kung Pao Chicken, Twice-Cooked Pork, and Crispy Beef.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
Ever craved that authentic Chinese flavor without the hassle of dining out or waiting for delivery? This easy recipe is your answer. Here’s why:
- Restaurant-Quality in Your Kitchen: Making this beef stir fry is budget-friendly, and with standard Chinese condiments on hand—like dark soy sauce, shaoxing rice wine, and fermented black beans—you’re just 30 minutes away from a restaurant-quality meal. Although beef sirloin steak is our go-to, other tender beef cuts work equally well.
- Simple and Speedy: With just a handful of basic ingredients, this recipe ensures you can savor a gourmet dish in less time than it takes for delivery. No extensive preparations or waiting!
- A Colorful Palette: The inclusion of both green and red bell peppers doesn’t just heighten the taste; it paints a vibrant and appetizing picture on your plate.
- Outshines Delivery: Relish the satisfaction of whipping up a dish that’s both quicker to make and more flavorful than your standard takeout.
- Gourmet on a Budget: Experience rich and genuine Chinese flavors with this budget-friendly recipe.
Ideal Beef Cuts for Stir Fry
Choosing the right beef cut can make all the difference in a stir fry. For this recipe, we recommend sirloin steak. Not only does it cook beautifully on high heat, but it also retains a moist and tender consistency. It’s both budget-friendly and user-friendly. However, if sirloin isn’t available, there are several excellent alternatives:
- Flank Steak – While being affordable, this boneless cut can be a bit tough. The secret is a quick stir fry without overcooking.
- Skirt Steak – Renowned for its beefy flavor and slight marbling. Best when stir-fried rapidly over high heat.
- Sirloin or New York Strip – Another lean, boneless option. See my Chinese beef broccoli stir-fry recipe.
- Ribeye – If you’re in the mood to splurge a bit, ribeye is incredibly juicy and tender. Do note, it comes at a higher price point.
Chinese Fermented Black Beans (Douchi)
A staple in Chinese cooking, fermented black beans, or douchi (豆豉), derive from the salting and fermenting of black soybeans. Not to be confused with typical black beans, these soybeans undergo a transformation during fermentation, resulting in their distinctive black hue.
Boasting a unique combination of salty and subtly bitter flavors, these beans produce a sharp, earthy, and rich profile. Their versatile nature finds them central in various Chinese dishes, often processed into pastes or bottled sauces available in many Asian markets.
Opting for Bottled Black Bean Sauce?
Certainly! While natural fermented black beans provide a pronounced depth of flavor, there’s flexibility in substituting with pre-packaged black bean sauce or paste. Just ensure to adjust the quantity slightly to achieve the desired taste.
Ingredient Notes and Alternatives
- Beef: This recipe recommends sirloin. However, flank, skirt, or other steak cuts are also suitable substitutes.
- Onion: Essential for flavor depth.
- Peppers: Opt for bell peppers, particularly green and red peppers, to achieve a vibrant color contrast. Feel adventurous? Diversify by adding vegetables like green beans, broccoli florets, asparagus, snow peas, snap peas, zucchini, or cabbage, all of which are excellent for stir-frying.
- Garlic and Ginger: These ingredients provide a rich, savory depth to the dish.
- Fermented Black Beans (Douchi): Essential for imparting an authentic Chinese flavor to the dish. In their absence, jarred black bean sauce makes a good substitute. You can find both these ingredients for beef stir fry with pepper at any Asian market.
- Dark soy sauce: Adds darker color to the beef. with a hint of caramel flavor. Substitute with regular soy sauce
- Shaoxing Wine: A staple in Chinese cuisine, this cooking wine can be substituted with other rice wine or, if preferred, left out entirely.
Stir Fry Sauce Components:
- Chicken Stock: Elevates the flavor profile of the pepper steak stir fry, offering a richer and deeper taste compared to plain water.
- Sugar: A modest amount can neutralize the slight bitterness from the black beans.
- Potato Starch: Aids in thickening the sauce. Cornstarch is a viable alternative.
- Black Pepper: For that added kick.
- Sesame Oil: Introduces a subtle nutty aroma to the stir fry.
How to make Chinese Beef and Pepper Stir Fry
Marinate the Beef: Cut the beef into thin strips against the grain. Marinate with dark and light soy sauces, shaoxing rice wine, and baking soda for 5 minutes.
Prep the Sauce: Blend chicken stock, sugar, shaoxing wine, potato starch (or cornstarch), black pepper and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
Prepare the Beans: Rinse the fermented black beans with water once. I like to roughly chop them but that’s an optional. Set it aside.
Stir-Fry the Beef: Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until it smokes. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok. Add the marinated beef strips in single layer and stir-fry until beef is almost cooked but not fully, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate.
Flavor Base: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to hot wok. Add ginger, garlic, and rinsed black beans and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
Veggie Time: Add onions, red and green peppers, stir-frying till they’re tender yet crisp, about 1-2 minutes.
Combine: Return beef to the wok, pour the sauce, and blend well. It should thicken the sauce immediately. Garnish with green onions or sesame seeds if you like. Serve immediately with rice.
Expert Tips on Beef Stir Fry
- Prep the Beans: I recommend to thoroughly rinse the fermented black beans to eliminate any excess salt and bitterness prior to incorporating them into the dish.
- Tenderizing Beef with Baking Soda: Incorporating a pinch of baking soda during the marinating stage can notably enhance the beef’s tenderness, resulting in a juicier dish.
- This step is especially crucial when working with tougher beef cuts; such as flak steak or skirt steak.
- Stay Organized: To master stir-frying, preparation is key. Assemble all ingredients in advance because once the heat is on, the process is swift. Pausing midway could affect the outcome.
- The Right Cookware: A traditional Chinese wok is the gold standard for stir-frying, but if unavailable, opt for a robust skillet like cast iron or carbon steel. They offer ample space ensuring ingredients aren’t cramped.
- Avoid non-stick skillets for beef and pepper stir fry as they aren’t suited for the high temperatures of stir-frying.
Serving Suggestions
Any Chinese stir-fry has to be served immediately to maximize its flavor. Typically, this beef and pepper stir fry pairs perfectly with white rice, but you can serve with brown rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or even rice noodles depending on your diet preference.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Pepper Steak Stir Fry
To preserve the freshness of your leftover beef pepper stir fry, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. This method ensures the beef remains moist, ensuring delightful leftovers.
When you’re ready to enjoy again, simply microwave the pepper steak stir fry for a few minutes or until it’s heated to your preference.
30-Minute Chinese Beef and Pepper Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) sirloin steak, sliced into thin strips
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine), or regular rice wine
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp oil (peanut oil or grape seed oil), divided
- 1 small green pepper, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
- 1 small red pepper, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tbsp fermented black beans (douchi), or 3 tbsp black bean sauce
For the sauce
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken stock, preferably low sodium
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp potato starch or cornstarch
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Cut the beef into thin strips against the grain. Marinate with dark and light soy sauces, shaoxing rice wine, and baking soda for 5 minutes.
- Make the sauce; Blend chicken stock, sugar, shaoxing wine, potato starch (or cornstarch), black pepper and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Rinse the fermented black beans with water once. I like to roughly chop them but that’s an optional. Set it aside.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until it smokes. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the wok. Add the marinated beef strips in single layer and stir-fry until beef is almost cooked but not fully, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to hot wok. Add ginger, garlic, and rinsed black beans and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add onions, red and green peppers, stir-frying till they're tender yet crisp, about 1-2 minutes.
- Return beef to the wok, pour the sauce, and blend well. It should thicken the sauce immediately. Garnish with green onions or sesame seeds if you like. Serve immediately with rice.
Wonderful dish. I used sirloin steak and it just melted in my mouth. Delicious
This is the second thing I’ve made from your recipes, and wowza that was delicious. Thanks!
White or sweet onion?
Either one works fine
Thank You Holly,
this has become a standard in my kitchen. It’s so easy and fast to make, doesn’t need any fancy ingredients and is so delicious. I do use whole fermented black beans however instead of the sauce.
Just to get a little more control over the amount of sugar and msg this contains 🙂
That’s great, Andreas. Fermented black beans will make so much better in taste and health. So happy to hear that you liked this dish.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious, although a bit salty, probably because of the broth I used. All in all, a great, easy recipe. Thanks!
Great to hear that you liked it. Yes, you will need to use low-sodium stock for this stir-fry since black bean sauce in a bottle is quite salty. Hope you can try again.
I made this tonight using just Costco stir fry veggies and the taste was great, but just a bit too salty. I think I either need to add more veggies next time (to spread out the sauce more) or maybe reduce the shoyu or black bean sauce a tad. Very helpful recipe though!
Thanks for this!!! The cornstarch, shaoxing rice wine and sesame oil and sugar combo on the side was genius- makes it really authentic! Thanks Hols!
I wonder, what do you think about the fermented black beans, with ginger?
If you can get the fermented black beans, it would be even better. Soak the beans in the water to soften, then add to the stir-fry. Yum~!
You’ve inspired me! I am going to make this for my husband when he comes back next week. He is going to love it! You are a genius!
Hi……tried this recipe last week………it is AWESOME. By far the best one we have tried. Thank you soooo much for posting it.
I love this recipe! I have varied the protein and veggies to whatever I have on hand and it always turns out delicious! Such a keeper!
Luvin’ this recipe! Could never get it right.
I had the same question as the black bean paste for jajjangmyeon… is the black bean sauce that you picture, liquidy? i’m guessing we would need to use less black bean paste than the 3 tablespoons of black bean sauce and maybe more liquid? Black bean paste is super thick and concentrated? Will have to play with it and see…. sounds delicious!
This looks tasty. Yum.
Could one use the black bean paste for jajjangmyeon as a substitute?
Give it a try. I think it will work.
I was about to go to bed and your email came in… of course I had to jump over to see what you cooked. OMG now I’m so hungry I can’t sleep… 😀 Look at the steam! Perfect shot Holly! I feel like I need to make this this week! YUM!
That looks great!
I love this dish! I usually make it with pork instead of beef, but beef is wonderful too. I always have the fermented black beans on hand – one of my staples. Great post – thanks.