#460: Pepper Steak Stir Fry

This picture makes it look like I have one pepper w/all the meat.  It just blends together!

I'll be honest, when I made this recipe, I was pretty sure that Brian was going to be the only one who ate it and/or enjoyed it.  I was so un-confident in my picky meat eating family (myself included), that I made the girls a quesadilla instead.  Well, they all happily surprised me.  As expected, Brian really enjoyed this.  What guy doesn't like meat and rice though!?  Allison asked if she could try some and then asked for more!  Not to be left out, Chloe also asked to try it and liked eating it with the rice (she thought she was being silly by mixing the two together).  I too, enjoyed this.  I almost didn't make the entire pepper steak; I'm glad I did!

12 oz top round beef, trimmed to 1/8" fat, prime grade
4 tsp plus 3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine (I used white vinegar)
3 tsp cornstarch
5 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced into thin strips (I omitted)
1 bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1/2 tsp black pepper
crushed red pepper flakes (optional) (I omitted)
Salt (it needed it!)

Slice meat into thin slices with the grain. Cut each strip across the grain about 1" long so you have small thin slices. (The thinner, the better!) Place in a bowl and add 4 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of rice wine, 1 tsp cornstarch and black pepper.

In a small bowl, mix 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp water and 2 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat the wok on high heat. Swirl in 1 tbsp oil and add the beef spreading evenly in the wok. Cook undisturbed for 20 seconds letting the beef brown. Using a spatula, stir meat, cooking another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.  (I totally over cooked mine, but that's the only way we eat ours.  The meat in the photo above was cooked for about  7 minutes). :)

Add remaining 2 tsp of oil to wok, add peppers and onions and cook about 2 minutes. Return beef to the wok, add the sauce and red pepper flakes and stir fry about 30 seconds until slightly thickened.