Black Pepper Beef Recipe

This black pepper beef is a quick and easy stir fry side dish with potato wedges and green bell pepper. This is exactly how my late mum used to make it.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Black pepper beef in a bowl topped with spring onions
Black pepper beef

Black Pepper Beef Recipe

It’s a very easy recipe and quick to cook as well. I’ve broken down the ingredients as well as the steps into sections, so you can see just what you need and what wants to be done to cook this black pepper beef.

This is what we’ll be doing:

  1. marinate the beef (10 minutes or so while you get everything else ready)
  2. pre cook the potatoes (in oil or air fryer)
  3. chop/pound the aromatics
  4. fry the aromatics
  5. add the beef, cook for 3 minutes
  6. add everything else and cook for another 3 minutes

That’s it, all done pretty quickly. This is because our black pepper beef uses a cut of beef that calls for a short cooking time. More below.

spoonful of beef
I love it with a generous amount of ginger

What cut of Beef?

You will need quick cooking beef cuts, as we will be cooking the beef very quickly. Below are some examples. If they don’t look familiar to you, do a Google search, as cuts can have various names in different parts of the world.

  • Sirloin – lean and boneless, great for all quick cooking, my favourite
  • Rib Eye – probably with the most flavour but fattier
  • Fillet Steaks – very lean and tender
  • Rump Steaks – firmer but full of flavour
  • Feather Steaks – taken from the blade, not as well known and are relatively inexpensive. I quite like these, you get flavour without the price tag.

In supermarkets, you will most likely fine packs of beef labelled as quick cook or stir fry. Those will do perfectly for our black pepper beef. If you buy your beef from the butcher, just tell him what it’s for and get him to slice your beef for you.

Marinating the Beef

We marinate the beef pieces very quickly with some oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, black pepper, garlic and ginger. This quick soak gives the beef a little bit of a head start in terms of flavour.

As our black pepper beef is a quick and easy recipe, we marinate only as long as it takes to get all the other ingredients ready. However, if you fancy a longer marinating time, by all means, give it an hour or two, or even overnight in the fridge.

I love adding a little grated ginger and garlic here too for just some spice and citrus kick. And also because I love this handy new ceramic grater I recently came across. You’ll find it or others like it on Amazon, no fear of grating your fingers! Click here to get it on Amazon (affiliate link).

oval ceramic grater with grated garlic and ginger
ceramic grater – a favourite kitchen toy!

How to Serve Black Pepper Beef

When I make this recipe, I tend to have it just with some rice and a green salad of cucumbers and lettuce. And a little sambal belacan, because you know me and my sambals, can’t live without the things!

Our black pepper beef has capsicum, onions and tomatoes, so that’s a good variety of flavours and textures already. So you don’t really need anything else to make it a meal. Skip the salad if you’re not keen, but salads are a must at every mealtime for us.

This black pepper beef also makes a great dish in an East or South East Asian meal, as part of a menu. Here are some examples you can serve it alongside.

Kerabu Timun
Kerabu timun recipe, a fresh and delicious Malaysian cucumber salad that is ready in minutes. It can be mild or spicy, that's up to you.
Check out this recipe!
Kerabu Timun (Malaysian Cucumber Salad) in a blue bowl
Kangkung Belacan
Get your kangkung belacan recipe here! It's a quick and easy water spinach stir-fry that is popular in Singapore and Malaysia.
Check out this recipe!
kangkung belcan on a plate
Ikan Masak Tiga Rasa
Ikan Masak Tiga Rasa recipe. A hot, sweet and sour fish dish from Singapore and Malaysia that's just perfect with some plain steamed rice.
Check out this recipe!
fish topped with red sauce on a bed of lettuce

More Beef Recipes

Eurasian Pot Roast Beef
Click here for my Eurasian pot roast beef recipe. Meltingly tender beef in a delicious combination of East meets West.
Check out this recipe!
Eurasian pot roast beef with carrots and celery on an oval dish
Beef Rendang Recipe (Resepi Rendang Daging)
Beef Rendang (rendang daging), the way my mum made it. A curry with meltingly tender beef, slow cooked in a rich, aromatic and highly spiced coconut gravy.
Check out this recipe!
Beef rendang in a dark bowl with yellow rice in the background
Eurasian Corned Beef Stew Recipe
Eurasian Corned Beef Stew recipe, a quick and easy light mix of corned beef and vegetables, perfect for a midweek meal.
Check out this recipe!
Eurasian Corned Beef Stew

If you enjoy the recipe, drop me a comment and let me know. And if you are feeling like a star, don’t forget that 5-star rating!

If you make this recipe, post it on Instagram and tag me @azlinbloor and hashtag it #linsfood.

Lin xx

bowl filled with beef and potatoes, black pepper beef

Black Pepper Beef Recipe

Azlin Bloor
Black pepper beef recipe with potatoes, a quick and easy side dish that's perfect with just some rice or as part of an Asian meal.
5 from 7 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Singaporean and Malaysian
Servings 4 (Serves 4-6)
Calories 374 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 knife
  • 1 chopping board
  • 1 large bowl for marinating the beef
  • 1 chopper (or pestle and mortar)
  • 1 ladle

Ingredients
 
 

Beef and Marinade
  • 500 g beef quick cook cuts, see suggestions in article above
  • 1 medium clove garlic
  • 2.5 cm ginger
  • 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
  • ½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Ingredients to be Chopped/Pounded
  • 1 medium onion about 120g (4.2 oz) pre peeled weight
  • 2 medium cloves garlic
  • 5 cm ginger
Everything Else
  • 1 medium potato
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 red chillies (these can be chopped/pounded with the above, if you prefer)
  • 1 green capsicum (bell pepper)
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 60 ml vegetable oil
  • 60 ml water
  • 1 Tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • some fresh coriander leaves or spring onions to garnish, chopped (cilantro or scallions)

Instructions
 

Prepare the Beef

  • Slice your beef into thin strips, cutting across the grain. This cuts through the fibres, making the meat tender and easier to chew. Place in a bowl.
  • Grate the garlic and ginger or chop/pound them finely and add to the beef.
  • Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and black pepper to the beef strips and mix well. Set aside to marinate lightly while you get everything else ready.
    You can also leave this to marinate for as long as you want, even overnight in the fridge. If placing in the fridge or marinating for more than an hour, cover with cling film. And be sure to take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking, to allow the meat to come to room temperature.

Other Prep Work

  • Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges.
  • Peel and quarter the onions. Peel the garlic and ginger. Place everything in the chopper and chop to a coarse mix. Or pound with a pestle and mortar.
    If you like, you could chop the red chillies here too, but I prefer to slice them.
  • Peel the second onion and slice into rings. Slice the red chillies and slice the green peppers into strips. Quarter the tomatoes.

Let's get Cooking

  • The Potatoes. Heat the oil in a wok or deep frying pan on medium heat and fry the potatoes for about 5 minutes until medium brown and done. If they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down.
    You can also do this in an air fryer: 200°C/400°F for 10 minutes.
  • Take the wedges out with a slotted spoon and leave on a plate that's been lined with kitchen paper, to absorb excess oil.
  • Pour out all but about 1 Tbsp oil and fry the chopped ingredients on medium heat for 1 minute.
  • Increase the heat and fry the beef for 3 minutes. Keep tossing the beef to brown. If things are starting to burn, lower the heat to medium.
  • Add the potatoes, onions, chillies, capsicum, tomatoes, black pepper and water. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off and garnish with your chosen herb. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 31gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 490mgPotassium: 1046mgFiber: 4gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 849IUVitamin C: 80mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 4mg
Keyword beef, daging, stir-fry
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