Pepper Steak

An old-school Southern recipe with a little Asian flare made with stir-fried beef, fresh bell peppers and onions served over rice.

JUMP TO RECIPE

This is a dish I grew up eating which, now that I think about it, seems odd considering I grew up waaaaaay out the country in the middle of the Deep South.

We didn't make this with Chinese take-out in mind, we made this to use up all the peppers that our gardens were pumping out.

When I can cook an entrée in less time than it takes me to cook a small pot of rice, I am one happy mama so this is something I make a LOT, especially in the summer when our garden is putting out more bell peppers than I know what to do with (because we always plant WAY too much!)

CHINESE TAKE-OUT OR SOUTHERN FOOD?

Most of us think of Chinese take-out when we hear Pepper Steak and don't think of Southern food, but I assure you, Southern folks have been making a version of this for a long time! I'm quite confident it was a dish made to use up all the bell peppers everyone's gardens were producing.

While I don’t think of this recipe as “Chinese food”, you can certainly nudge it closer in that direction by adding more ginger and a little brown sugar or honey to the sauce when you mix it up.

The version of this I grew up eating didn't have soy sauce or ground ginger in it but I really like the little bit of Asian zing they add so I make my pepper steak with both.

ABOUT THAT SAUCE...

We used to always make this dish with a cornstarch slurry but I started using a brown gravy mix because it adds just a little more beefy flavor (and that’s all gravy mixes really are: cornstarch and bullion).

If you want enough to sauce to cover your rice like gravy, double the sauce recipe!

I almost always do because rice and gravy go together like sugar and ice tea to us Southerners.

If you’re looking for something quick and easy for weeknight meals, you’ll love this one! Don’t look at the ingredient list and think it’s too much.

Most of the ingredients in the sauce are the same things you use on the steak, I just separated them into two sections to make things easier to follow!

INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING PEPPER STEAK

1. Sirloin or bottom round steak
2. Red & green bell peppers
3. Onion
4. Garlic
5. Black pepper
6. Brown gravy mix
7. Soy sauce
8. Ground ginger (optional)

NOTES ABOUT MAKING PEPPER STEAK

• If you'd like enough sauce to make a gravy for the rice, double the sauce ingredients.
• If you’re planning to serve this with rice, get your rice cooking before you start cooking the steak as it cooks pretty quickly!
• Use whichever bell peppers you prefer (green, red or yellow). I like one each green and red but have used every combo under the sun.

Recipe for Pepper Steak

Pepper Steak

Yield: 6 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

An old-school Southern recipe with a little Asian flare made with stir-fried beef, fresh bell peppers and onions served over rice.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs. sirloin or bottom round steak
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Vegetable oil
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 large onion
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce:

• 1 packet brown gravy mix
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (or more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

1. Read recipe notes before beginning.
2. Chop peppers and onion into 1-inch pieces; set aside.
3. Slice steak into 1/4-inch strips then toss with salt and black pepper.
4. Add just enough vegetable oil to a large skillet to coat the bottom. Heat over high heat until very hot. Add one layer of beef strips to skillet then cook 90 seconds before stirring. After 90 seconds, stir beef strips and continue cooking until most pink is gone (it will finish cooking in the sauce). Remove from skillet then repeat this process until all beef is browned and set aside.
5. Coat the bottom of the pan with a little more vegetable oil, reduce heat to medium-high then add chopped peppers and onions then sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic and continue cooking 2 minutes.
6. Combine sauce ingredients and mix well. Add sauce to pan with peppers and onions then stir and cook until sauce has thickened and peppers are tender.
7. Stir browned beef strips (with any rendered juices) into sauce. Cook and stir until meat is heated through.
8. Serve over rice.

Notes

• If you'd like enough sauce to make a gravy for the rice, double the sauce ingredients.
• If you’re planning to serve this with rice, get your rice cooking before you start cooking the steak as it cooks pretty quickly!
• Use whichever bell peppers you prefer (green, red or yellow). I like one each green and red but have used every combo under the sun.

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2017/02/pepper-steak.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2017

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