Loaf and PsalmA journal from an improving homemaker

Chinese · All year

Black Pepper Beef

Thin beef, a hot pan, and enough pepper that you can taste it. One tablespoon of avocado oil, in two quick batches so the meat sears.

25 minutes · Serves 6 · Enough for 6 plates of rice

Sliced beef and onion in a black pepper sauce

“Taste and see that the LORD is good.”

Psalm 34:8

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ lb flank steak or sirloin, sliced thin against the grain
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 2 tsp coarse black pepper
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce, for the pan
  • 2 tbsp water, for the pan

Method

Making Black Pepper Beef: Toss the beef with the first tablespoon of soy sauce, the cornstarch, and the 1 tablespoon of water. Let…
Toss the beef with the first tablespoon of soy sauce, the cornstarch, and the 1 tablespoon of water. Let…
Making Black Pepper Beef: Lower the heat to medium. Cook the onion 2 minutes, until it softens at the edge. Add the garlic and the…
Lower the heat to medium. Cook the onion 2 minutes, until it softens at the edge. Add the garlic and the…
  1. 1

    Toss the beef with the first tablespoon of soy sauce, the cornstarch, and the 1 tablespoon of water. Let it sit 10 minutes. This is a thin coat, not a batter, and it is not a velvet in a pot of oil.

  2. 2

    Heat half the avocado oil in a wide skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Sear half the beef in one layer, about 45 seconds a side, until it is browned and no longer raw. Lift it out. Repeat with the rest of the oil and the rest of the beef. If you crowd the pan, the beef steams and turns gray.

  3. 3

    Lower the heat to medium. Cook the onion 2 minutes, until it softens at the edge. Add the garlic and the black pepper and stir 20 seconds.

  4. 4

    Return the beef. Add the remaining soy sauce and the 2 tablespoons of water. Toss 30 seconds, until the pan juices coat the meat. Taste. It should be peppery. Add more pepper if it is shy. Serve at once, with rice.

From the kitchen

  • Flank sliced with the grain is chewy no matter how good the sauce is. Cut across the grain.
  • The pepper goes in near the end. Burnt pepper is harsh, and more of it will not fix that.

My note

Kept on this device, beside the recipe, for the next time you cook it.

Put a week of meals on The Table

Alongside this