Delicious Beef Stir Fry with Onions & Peppers with tender, velvety slices of beef and a flavorful sauce. It's a quick and easy recipe you can make in less than 30 minutes!
You may also like Tofu and Asparagus Stir Fry for a meatless alternative.
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Ingredients you’ll need
Notes and substitutions
- Beef: My favorite cuts for stir-frying are flank steak and flat iron steak. Chuck steak is an economical choice. Boneless short ribs with their deep marbling are excellent if you don't mind spending more. Other good options are beef sirloin, skirt steak, and flap meat.
- Baking soda: It breaks down the tough fibers of an inexpensive cut of beef, making it tender and velvety. Also known as sodium bicarbonate, it is the same ingredient used in baking, cleaning, and neutralizing odors.
- Shaoxing wine: It is an amber-colored Chinese rice wine that enhances the flavors of the dish. Substitute with another Chinese cooking wine, dry sherry, or Japanese rice wine (sake).
- Oyster sauce: It is thick and umami-rich with a mild briny flavor like oysters.
- Sesame oil: Use the dark-colored variety made from toasted sesame seeds. It has a strong nutty flavor and aroma used for seasoning. Add it at the end of cooking, but use it sparingly as it can be overpowering in excess.
- Oil: Use a neutral or light-tasting oil (or a combination) that can withstand high heat. Find out more.
How to make this recipe
(1)Make the sauce by combining soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, sugar, cornstarch, sesame oil, and ½ cup of water. Set aside.
(2)Cut the meat into 2"-thick sections along the grain or in the same direction as the muscle fibers. (3)Slice each section thinly (about ¼ inch) against the grain or across the muscle fibers.
PRO TIP: Partially freeze the meat for about an hour to make slicing easier.
(4)Add two tablespoons of stir-fry sauce to the meat and mix them together. (5)Add baking soda and cornstarch. Mix them well, so they are evenly distributed. Velvet the meat for about 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
(6) Grate or mince ginger. (7)Mince the garlic as well.
(8)Slice red bell pepper into thin strips. (9)Slice the onion the same way.
(10)Cut scallions into 2-inch sections.
(11)Set your wok or skillet over high heat. Add a bit of oil to coat the bottom when the pan is almost smoking. Spread the meat in a single layer.
Let them sear for about two minutes without touching them. Let the other side brown for another minute. Transfer to a plate.
(12)Cook onions and red bell peppers for one minute until slightly blistered. Add scallions and push them to one side. Slightly lower the heat at this point.
(13)Add a bit of oil and sauté ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds. Toss them all together.
(14)Add the meat and sauce to the pan. Let the sauce slightly thicken for about 30 seconds.
(15)Add some ground pepper and mix them together. Turn off the heat.
Beef Stir Fry with Onions and Peppers goes best with white rice or plain noodles.
Frequently asked questions
Slice beef thinly and against the grain to ensure it is tender and easy to chew. Overcooking beef can make it tough.
Velveting is a technique used in Chinese restaurants that uses baking soda and cornstarch to ensure the meat (especially an inexpensive cut) is tender and velvety.
A wok is excellent for stir-fries and fried rice like Crab Fried Rice. While you won't achieve wok hei, the unique smoky flavor and aroma from cooking in a wok, a large skillet (or a sauté pan) where the ingredients get lots of contact with the hot pan will do.
Prepare the meat, vegetables, and sauce separately in advance and refrigerate. The velveting can be done in as little as five minutes. With everything ready, stir-frying will only take less than 15 minutes.
Watch how I make it here
Other beef recipes you may like
Did you make this recipe? I would love to know! Your feedback helps me make better recipes. Please rate, review, or comment below. Questions about this recipe are welcome, too!
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📖 Recipe
Beef Stir Fry with Onions and Peppers
Equipment
- A wok, skillet, or sauté pan
Ingredients
Stir-fry sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce regular or light
- 1 tablespoons Shaoxing wine sub: Chinese cooking wine, dry sherry, or sake
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil dark-colored variety
- ½ cup water
For the stir-fry
- 1 pound flank steak (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 medium onion sliced into strips
- 1 medium red bell pepper sliced into strips
- 3 scallions cut into 2-inch sections
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- Ground pepper to taste
- Neutral-flavored oil for searing and sautéing
Instructions
- Make the sauce by combining soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, sugar, cornstarch, sesame oil, and ½ cup of water. Set aside.
- Slice the meat thinly (about ¼ inch) against the grain or across the muscle fibers.
- Add two tablespoons of stir-fry sauce to the meat and mix them together.
- Add baking soda and cornstarch. Mix them well, so they are evenly distributed. Velvet the meat for about 15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Set your wok or skillet over high heat. Add a bit of oil to coat the bottom when the pan is almost smoking. Spread the meat in a single layer.
- Sear for about two minutes without touching them. Let the other side brown for another minute. Transfer to a plate.
- Cook onions and red bell peppers for one minute until slightly blistered. Add scallions and push them to one side. Slightly lower the heat at this point.
- Add a bit of oil and sauté ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds. Toss them all together.
- Add meat and sauce to the pan. Let the sauce slightly thicken for about 30 seconds.
- Add some ground pepper and mix them together. Turn off the heat.
Marge Treichler
Not an oyster fan so I left that part out... BUT, this is the third time I've made it and needless to say it is SCRUMPTIOUS! Thank you Nora..... Will now try other recipes of yours.
Nora Rey
Hello Marge! Thank you so much! That makes me so glad. =) And yes, I have also tried making it with vegan mushroom oyster sauce and it worked as well.
Jomelyn
I will make this for dinner again tonight. It is very tasty.
Nora
Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it! =)
Bim
Followed every step of this recipe, the result was so good my husband and kids asked me where I ordered it. They can’t believe that I made it myself. Thank you Nora, keep sharing!
Nora
Wow, Bim! That is so good to hear! I am so happy you guys liked it. =)
Naomi
I will love to make the dishes thank you
Pianino Teoria
Superb website you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics discussed in this article? I’d really love to be a part of online community where I can get feed-back from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Bless you!
Peachit
I have
Christine Krueger
O.M.G. Just made this for dinner, and it is excellent. Used powdered garlic and ginger, since we didn’t have any. Used four of the “rib eye” steaks from a Dollar Tree. Leave those frozen, they cut easier. Also great for fajitas. We will definitely make this again!
Amy Breault
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe!