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Chinese Pepper Steak with Onions

Chinese pepper steak with onions is a quick Chinese-American stir fry with tender beef and colorful bell peppers in a glossy soy-oyster sauce. Marinated beef browns fast in a hot wok, then everything gets tossed until the sauce turns thick and shiny over steamed rice.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
marinating 20 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Chinese-American
Calories: 680
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and vegetables
  • 1.5 lb ground beef or thinly sliced flank steak
  • 2 bell peppers red and green, sliced
  • 1 onion large, sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger fresh, grated
Marinade
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
Stir-fry sauce
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp hoisin
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 0.5 cup beef broth
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
Cooking
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 steamed rice for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Marinate and prep
  1. In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, cornstarch, and sesame oil with the ground beef until evenly coated, then let it sit 20 minutes.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sauce soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, brown sugar, beef broth, and cornstarch, then set aside.
Stir-fry the beef
  1. Heat the oil in a wok or large Dutch oven over high heat, then cook the beef, breaking it apart, until browned, about 0–5 minutes, and remove to a plate.
Stir-fry the vegetables and finish
  1. Stir-fry the bell peppers and onion in the same wok or Dutch oven 3–4 minutes until slightly charred, keeping the heat high and tossing constantly.
  2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring quickly so they don’t brown too much.
  3. Return the browned beef to the wok and toss for 10–20 seconds to rewarm.
  4. Pour the sauce over everything and cook 2 minutes, tossing until thickened and glossy, with a dark fragrant sheen.
  5. Serve the pepper steak over steamed rice.

Notes

For the best texture, keep the pan hot and avoid overcrowding so the beef browns and the peppers get slight char. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium-high until hot and saucy. Freezing is not recommended because bell peppers soften and the sauce may lose gloss. For a gluten-free swap, use tamari in place of soy sauce and ensure oyster sauce and hoisin are gluten-free.