Spicy Beef Pepper Stir Fry (Printable)
Tender beef and colorful peppers in a bold spicy sauce served over fluffy steamed rice.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beef Stir Fry
01 - 1 lb beef sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
02 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
03 - 1 tbsp cornstarch
04 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil
05 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
06 - 1 green bell pepper, sliced
07 - 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
08 - 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
09 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
11 - 2–3 fresh red chilies, sliced
12 - 3 tbsp green onions, sliced
→ Sauce
13 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
14 - 1 tbsp oyster sauce
15 - 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
16 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
17 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
18 - 1 tsp sesame oil
19 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
→ Rice
20 - 1 1/4 cups jasmine or long-grain rice
21 - 2 cups water
22 - Pinch of salt
# How to Make It:
01 - Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Combine rice, water, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12–15 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
02 - While the rice cooks, in a medium bowl, mix sliced beef with 2 tbsp soy sauce and cornstarch. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients and set aside.
04 - Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add beef in a single layer and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until browned. Transfer beef to a plate.
05 - Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the wok. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies. Stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
06 - Add bell peppers and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until just tender but still crisp.
07 - Return beef to the wok. Pour in the sauce and stir-fry everything together for 2–3 minutes until heated through and well coated.
08 - Serve hot over steamed rice. Garnish with sliced green onions.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It comes together faster than ordering takeout, and tastes even better than what you'd get delivered.
- The sauce is perfectly balanced between salty, sweet, and spicy, with no overwhelming heat unless you want it.
- Leftovers actually taste better the next day, which never happens with my cooking attempts.
02 -
- High heat is your friend here—a lukewarm wok leads to steamed vegetables and rubbery beef, so wait for that oil to shimmer before you add anything.
- Don't crowd the pan when searing beef, and resist stirring constantly in the first minute—you need that crust to form, which only happens with direct contact and time.
03 -
- Let your wok preheat for a full minute before adding anything—a properly hot wok is the entire secret to restaurant-quality stir fry.
- If you have a rice cooker, use it instead of the stovetop method and forget about timing altogether, which makes weeknight cooking infinitely less stressful.