Beef in Black Pepper Sauce

This easy black pepper beef stir-fry is bold, quick, and way better than anything from a packet. Juicy beef, fresh veg, and a proper black pepper sauce... ready in under 20 minutes.

The beef goes through two preparation stages before the wok. First, bicarbonate of soda is mixed through with water and the beef, and left for 45 minutes to an hour, which raises the pH of the surface protein and reduces muscle fibre contraction during cooking. The beef stays tender rather than seizing up on the hot wok surface. After rinsing, cornflour, Shaoxing wine, and soy sauce coat the beef and layer in seasoning before the cook starts.

The black pepper sauce is ketchup, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and coarsely cracked black pepper. Ketchup isn’t an obvious choice but it provides acidity, sugar for caramelisation, and a body that binds the sauce to the beef and vegetables in the wok. The pepper needs to be freshly cracked: pre-ground black pepper has lost most of its aromatic volatile compounds by the time it reaches the jar, and the punch of a good black pepper sauce depends on those compounds. The whole cook is under 10 minutes once the beef is prepped.

Ingredient Notes

Bicarbonate of soda: Used here as a tenderiser rather than a leavening agent. When mixed with water and left in contact with the beef for 45 minutes, it raises the surface pH and reduces the muscle fibre tension that causes beef to seize on a hot wok. The tenderising effect is especially useful with leaner cuts like rump. Rinse the beef thoroughly afterwards to remove the soda taste. If you’re short on time, skip this step and go straight to the cornflour and marinade, the dish will still work but the texture of the beef will be slightly firmer.

Beef rump: Rump is a lean, full-flavoured cut that slices cleanly across the grain into thin strips. It’s firmer in texture than ribeye or sirloin but well-suited to the tenderising method here. Ask your butcher for a thick piece to slice yourself: pre-cut stir-fry strips are often inconsistent. Slice against the grain as thinly as possible, around 3-4mm, which shortens the muscle fibres and makes each piece more tender to eat. Flank or skirt steak are good alternatives with similar characteristics.

Black pepper: Use freshly cracked or coarsely ground black pepper rather than fine pre-ground: the aromatic compounds that give black pepper its punch and heat are volatile and dissipate quickly after grinding. Fresh cracking keeps them intact. Two teaspoons in the sauce will give a strong pepper presence and moderate heat: reduce to 1 tsp if you prefer a milder result, or increase to 1 tbsp for a seriously peppery finish.

Equipment

• Chopping board
• Chef’s knife
• Wok or large frying pan
• Wok spatula or tongs
• Large bowl (x2, for tenderising and marinating)
• Colander
• Grater or microplane
• Small bowl (for sauce)