Beef With Peppers

I love to order beef dishes when dining at restaurants like P.F. Chang’s and Pei Wei (think Mongolian Beef, Teriyaki Beef), but I’ve never been successful in recreating anything nearly as tasty at home.  Until now!  There are several reasons this recipe worked for me.  The recipe calls for flank steak, and I purchased some pre-tenderized flank steak, which really helped the texture of the meat.  The other key is to slice the flank steak very thin and against the grain.  The last tip is to not overcook it.  It won’t take long at all to get it cooked!  The sauce and spice of this dish was just perfect, and it certainly tasted restaurant-quality.  I served mine with rice, but The Pioneer Woman served hers with rice noodles (which I may try next time).  The sauce has lots of flavor and a little bit of spice which we loved!  This recipe is a variation on The Pioneer Woman’s earlier recipe, Beef With Snow Peas.  (That one is also great, but not spicy.)

Beef With Peppers

from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

• 1-½ pound Flank Steak, Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
• ½ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Sherry
• 2 Tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Red Chile Paste (or A Few Dashes Red Chile Oil)
• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 whole Medium Yellow Onion Sliced
• 2 whole Red Bell Peppers, Cored And Sliced Into Rings
• 1 Tablespoon Diced Fresh Jalapeno (or 1 Teaspoon Dice Hot Pepper)
• Red Pepper Flakes, For Sprinkling
• Cilantro Leaves

Mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and chili paste (or chili oil.) Place sliced beef in the mixture and toss to coat. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. When it is very hot, throw in the onions and cook for less than a minute. Remove to a separate plate. Return skillet to flame, allow to reheat, and add bell peppers (and hot pepper/jalapeno if using.) Cook for a minute, tossing, until peppers have brown/black bits but are still firm. Remove to a plate.

Return skillet to heat and allow to get hot. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add 1/3 of the meat mixture, evenly distributing over the surface of the skillet. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then turn with tongs. Cook for another 30 seconds, then remove to a separate plate. Repeat with remaining meat until all brown.

Reduce heat to low. Add all meat, onions, and peppers to the skillet and toss to combine. Pour in remaining sauce (the sauce the meat marinated in*) and stir. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes. Sauce will slowly thicken. Turn off heat.  Top with cilantro leaves and serve immediately.