Pepper Steak Stir Fry with Black Bean Sauce

Stir fries are the perfect weeknight lifesavers. They are highly customizable, healthy and ridiculously easy to put together.

There are just three things you need to keep in mind to create the perfect stir fry:

1) Prep all of the ingredients before you start cooking. So slice the meat, chop the vegetables and the herbs before you even think of putting the wok/ skillet on the stove top.

2) Cook everything fast and on high heat. This is quick work, the veggies will get soggy and over cooked if you take too long to cook them. Unfortunately, most domestic stove tops are not nearly as hot as you need them to be, so go ahead and cook it on the highest heat it will get to.

3) Do not over crowd while cooking. Refer to point # 2 above. Over crowding will reduce the overall heat distribution. Split it in two batches if need be.

Steak and peppers are a match made in heaven. The flavors are classic, simple and work fantastically together.

Yield : Serves 2 - 3
Prep Time: 10 - 15 Minutes
Cook Time : 10 - 15 Minutes

Pepper Steak Stir Fry With Black Bean Sauce

Ingredients

1 LB ( little less than half a kilo) Steak Meat (Whatever kind you prefer)

2 Red Bell Peppers (Red Capsicum)

1 Onion

3 Scallions (Spring Onions)

1/2 inch Ginger

3-4 cloves Garlic

1-2 Green Chiles

4-5 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Black Bean Sauce (fermented black soy)

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

Salt (very little if at all)

1-2 Tablespoons Oil

Method

Cut the red bell peppers and onions into a one inch dice. Chop the garlic and ginger finely but don't mince it. Slice the chiles and scallions.

Slice the steak into thin strips. I asked my sous chef to cut it in thin strips and he took it as a challenge to cut it as fine as he could. Oh well, it worked pretty well!

Sprinkle and combine with corn flour and salt. Don't use too much salt because you will be dousing this with soy sauce later.

Heat the oil in a wok or a skillet. I don't have a wok so I am using a skillet. Brown the meat on high heat. Remember to not over crowd. Keep stirring it constantly. Umm, it is called a stir fry!

Once the meat is browned, add in the onions and red bell peppers and stir.

Add the ginger, garlic and the green chiles. Combine and cook, stirring it through. If the veggies start leaving out too much moisture, it means that we have over crowded the skillet. It is not the end of the world, but not ideal! Dry it out as much as possible without over cooking.