There isn't a single Chinese-American fast casual restaurant or traditional hole-in-the-wall place in America that can make a better version of Pepper Steak than today's recipe, the Perfect Pepper Steak! Yes, that is quite the claim, but I would go as far as to challenge any James Beard/Michelin Star Award winning chef to a throwdown as I have perfected this recipe using a tender cut of flank steak, fresh peppers and onions, and a simple savory sauce that brings all the ingredients together into the perfect, mouth-watering, irrefutable delicious bite! Okay, maybe I shouldn't show up some fancy chef, but if you can't take the heat then get out of the kitchen, eh? Stick around as I give up my secrets so you can drop the jaws of your family and wow them with this classic dinner...Let's Get Cooking!
A dish this good requires a little bit of time and planning so don't expect to come home and throw this one together last minute. That being said, we will start with the marinade for the flank steak. You could use a different cut of steak if you like, but flank steak is relatively inexpensive and really soaks up the flavors of this dish so it is the beef cut I recommend over others. Use whatever you like, but don't blame me when yours does not turn out perfect...just saying! Anyway, for the marinade we will combine minced garlic, ginger paste, low sodium soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, and some black pepper and mix thoroughly. You can place your flank steak in either a large gallon-size ziplock bag or sealable dish, then pour the marinade over the steak so it is coated on all sides. Keep it real and be sure to let the steak marinate overnight. Be sure to turn it over when you wake up in the morning so that the marinade can really penetrate all the fibers of the flank steak and impart the first level of umami goodness!
Once your flank steak has marinated overnight, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come up to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. While you wait, go ahead and knock out the remaining prep work. Deseed and core your bell peppers before dicing them into 1-inch bite-sized pieces. Dice a large onion into similar sized 1-inch pieces as well. You can also go ahead and make the finishing sauce by combining 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of rice wine, 1.5 teaspoons of white sugar, a couple teaspoons of black pepper, and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in a mixing bowl. Stir that sauce mixture well and set aside along with a tablespoon or so of cornstarch to be combined later.
Your steak should have warmed enough at this point so depending on the size, you may need to cut it in half or thirds to pan sauté it. You can certainly grill your steak, but I wanted the fond from the bottom of the pan to help flavor the sauce and rest of the dish so I chose to pan sauté mine for this particular recipe. Anyway, heat your skillet with some olive oil over Medium-High heat. When your pan is hot and just before the oil begins to smoke, drop your steak and sear it to hold those marinade juices in. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes depending on your steak thickness, but we are aiming for rare to Medium-Rare at this point since we will be further cooking the steak later on as well. Repeat this process until your entire steak has been seared off and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before moving on.
If you didn't do the remaining veggie prep yet, now would also be the time to finish up that work. Otherwise, once your steak has rested, slice it into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices on the bias against the grain. The meat fibers and grain are very easy to see on a flank steak so be sure to slice your bite-sized pieces against the grain to keep it tender and less chewy. As you can see below, my steak is still pretty Rare, but cut down into similar sized pieces.
Now we can turn our attention back to that dirty pan you just cooked the steak in to finish up this dish. Place the pan back over Medium heat and pour the beef stock directly onto the bottom of the pan. Use a bamboo spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all those tasty bits, the aforementioned fond, off the bottom of the pan. There is a ton of flavor in there so don't skip this step! If you decided to grill your steak, well I guess you're just going to have to make do without this extra layer of flavor.
Once you have most of the fond scraped up and mixed with the beef stock, add the diced bell peppers and sauté them for 3 minutes. Be sure to season the peppers with a sprinkle of salt and pepper during this process. If the pan becomes to too dry, you can add another splash or so of beef stock or a bit of olive oil. You can also turn the heat back up slightly to Medium-High for the remainder of the cooking process.
Once the bell peppers begin to soften up, add in the diced onion and continue to sauté everything together for an additional 2 minutes.
The onions should start to turn translucent within those 2 minutes. At this point, add a metric dump truck load of minced garlic and a good squeeze of ginger paste to the veggies and sauté them for about 1 more minute, until fragrant. You can use freshly minced ginger instead of the paste if you like, but I'm a huge fan of the prepackaged paste to save my time and effort of peeling and mincing ginger.
Now that are veggies have somewhat softened, add the sliced flank steak bites back into the pan. You can also add the cornstarch to the sauce mixture, stir well, and pour over all the steak and veggies. Let everything continue to sauté over Medium-High heat for 2-3 minutes so the sauce can thicken as the steak finishes cooking.
Once the steak pieces cook through just slightly, to about Medium-Rare to Medium level, remove the pan from the heat and let everything rest for 5 minutes or so to give the juices time to resettle within the flank steak and soak up those extra veggie flavors.
Be sure to taste your veggies and pepper steak to see if any additional salt/pepper is needed, but the marinade and sauce should just about take care of seasoning perfectly so don't go adding too much and ruining the dish! I tend to enjoy this Perfect Pepper Steak as is, but if you want to stretch your meal farther be sure to serve it with some freshly prepared rice. Pro tip, use a little beef stock instead of water to cook your rice and it will pair with this dish much better than plain rice. Otherwise, that just about wraps up this Perfect Pepper Steak recipe! What do you all think? Did I nail this one better than any local joint or what? Make it yourself and let me know if you still prefer that overcooked and bland stuff from your favorite Chinese restaurant or if we knocked this one out of the park for sure! Garnish your final product with some toasted sesame seeds, green onions, or even a drizzle of sriracha because it will quickly get devoured once your family gets a taste. Like many other dishes we make, this one could seem a bit intimidating at first, but by breaking it down into a few steps and simplifying the process, anyone can get in the kitchen and make delicious dinners for their family to enjoy. As always, keep it real and make it tasty....Just Keep Cooking!
PERFECT PEPPER STEAK
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