There is no doubt about it Chinese stir-fry pepper steak is a truly great way to serve budget cuts of beef.

An Australian Spin – Here; in Australia, we quite often substitute kangaroo as it is far superior in terms of less fat than any other red meat. It’s an evolutionary thing with marsupials that reside in dry (often drought condition) climates. In fact kangaroo goes well in any open heat and naked flame cooking recipes such as wok or cast iron skillet stir-fries and Bar-B-Q grilled kebab sticks etc.

Eat First Ask Questions Later – Any way even those who don’t like Chinese food in general are very surprised when they have eaten the meal and asked what was the meat.

Hungry Hordes – Experience has taught me that the hungry hordes generally; eat the meal in its entirety first before enquiring as to the nature of the meat, as this is a surprisingly easily chewed, swallowed and totally consumed main course treat. Eat first and ask questions later, seems to be the general modus operandi here.

None of the old; “Tastes a bit like chicken”, line here. Kangaroo Must be the most all round pleasing game meat I have ever tried and I have eaten practically everything that can go into the mouth at one time or other (sometimes in varying states of sobriety).

A Little Historical Background – From a historical perspective one must remember that the Chinese; not unlike the Japanese, never really developed a truly massive mainstream beef industry until Westerners really came into the picture. Being ever adaptable the Chinese simply substituted “steak” with whatever was the most popular red meat of the locale in which they were preparing the meal.

Local produce and prejudice has long dictated that “When in Rome, do as the Roman’s do”. Or in this case what the paying customer is most likely to be comfortable with. So beef steak it is.

Searing – The idea is to sear the sliced and seasoned beef strips in a flavorful grown sauce loaded with three colors of bell peppers to infuse the flavors of the sauce through the meat. Chinese rice wines; such as Shaoxing and Mirin are popular but then too so is Japanese Sake. Basically whatever takes your fancy or budget dictates.

Soy Sauce – As far as the soy sauce is concerned; dark soy sauce is aged longer than the lighter varieties and is generally much richer in texture as well. Kikkoman is a very popular and readily available selection of dark soy sauce that goes really well when used in this dish.

Presentation:

If presentation really matters (and whenever guests enter the picture it always helps to give your fare the best chance of being favorably received) then it is best to serve this dish on a bed of medium sticky white rice to contrast the darker color and flavors of the meat and sauce. Top with a selection of fresh stir-fry vegetables.

Marinade Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons of Oyster Sauce
• 2 Teaspoons of Potato Starch – You can use corn starch if you have no potato starch to hand but please no MSG
• ¼ to ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper – Dependent upon who is going to be eating it
• ½ Teaspoon of Lemon Juice
• ¾ to 1 Pound (400 grams) of Flank or Round Steak or Kangaroo if available

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup of Beef Broth
• 2 Tablespoons of Rice Wine – Chinese variety if available
• 2 Tablespoons of Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon of Granulated Sugar
• ½ Teaspoon of Vegetable Extract (Vegemite works well here)
• ¼ Teaspoon of Fine Black Pepper – Freshly ground would be even better
• 1 Teaspoon Freshly Crushed Minced Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil (Virgin olive oil or better still Sesame Oil to add that something different not your run-of-the-mill flavor)
• ½ Teaspoon Minced Ginger – I tend to be a little liberal when it comes to ginger so for me it is usually a whole teaspoon rather than merely half the measure
• 1 Splash of Lemon Juice
• ½ Julienned Green Bell Pepper
• ½ Julienned Yellow Bell Pepper
• ½ Julienned Red Bell Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons of Drinking Water
• 1 Teaspoon Potato Starch
• ½ of Freshly Sliced Jalapeño Chili

Preparation:

1. Thin slice meat across the grain
2. Dissolve 1 Teaspoon of Potato Starch in 2 Teaspoons of Drinking Water or rice water
3. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl
4. Now add the meat to the marinade. Don’t forget to stir so that the meat is evenly coated with the marinade.
5. Let meat (beef) and marinade mix stand for 15 minutes
6. In a separate bowl combine all of the sauce ingredients and mix thoroughly
7. Slice chili and capsicum for use as garnish

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat Wok – Preheat wok over a high heat until it becomes hot
2. Oiling Wok – Once the wok is hot enough add in 1½ tablespoons of sesame oil (or virgin olive oil) and swirl to coat sides of wok with a film of oil.
3. Add Garlic and Ginger – Now stir in the garlic and ginger. Remember to keep stirring until the flagrant aroma given off is noticeable. For those with a nose cold or other condition that reduces the sensitivity of their sense of smell this will take about 15 – 20 seconds
4. Adding the Meat – It is now time to add in the meat (beef or whatever you are using but since this a Chinese stir-fry pepper steak dish I will stick with the beef as being the meat concerned but you can change this to suit whatever takes your fancy or your budget dictates).
5. Stir Until Meat Is No Longer Pink – Continue stirring the wok mixture until the meat (beef) is no longer pink. This will generally be somewhere in the region of 1½ to 2½ minutes.
6. Removing Meat – Once done remove meat from wok
7. Recoating Sides of Wok – Add in the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil to the wok and swirl the wok to ensure that the sides of the wok are evenly coated with a film of oil
8. Adding Bell Peppers – It is now time to add in all three kinds of bell peppers (red, yellow and green).
9. Stir-Fry Bell Peppers – Don’t forget to keep stirring as you add in the bell peppers. Continue stir-frying the bell peppers for approximately 1 to 1½ minutes.
10. Stir-Fry until Peppers are Tender and Crisp – Now add the water and continue to stir-fry for 2½ to 3½ minutes or until the peppers are tender-crisp. Note that in some circumstances this stage could take as little as 2 minutes or as long as 4 minutes. Just remember that the object here is not to overcook the peppers.
11. Return Meat to Wok – Now add the meat back into the wok and add the sauce mixture now as well.
12. Bring to a Boil – Continue to cook and stir meat and sauce mixture until it begins to boil
13. Adding the Starch – At this point it is time to add the potato/corn starch solution you previously prepared to the mixture already in the wok.
14. Thickening Sauce – Continue cooking and stirring until the sauce begins to boil and thicken.

Serving:

• Serve this Chinese beef stir-fry on a bed of medium sticky rice or mashed potatoes
• Include stir-fry vegetables if so desired and new potatoes if available
• Garnish with chili slices, sliced Capsicum and Snow Peas (if desired)

Alternative Beddings:

Mum; in fact, often leaves the rice out and uses either freshly boiled new potatoes served whole with dollops of butter or if new potatoes are unavailable then standard mashed potatoes are used as the bedding instead of the rice.

Variations and Additions:

• Vegetable Extract/Vegetable Stock Cubes – Try adding ½ teaspoon of a vegetable extract (such as Vegemite) to the sauce and a little in the marinade. You might also want to consider using ¼ vegetable stock cube to the sauce and a little in the marinade as it and the meat are being cooked.
• Stir-Fry Vegetables – You may wish to add in some stir-fry vegetables whilst cooking the meat and sauce. Your best bet is to add the vegetables directly after returning the meat to the wok (immediately after step 11 above and most definitely prior to bringing the wok mixture back up to a boil step 12 above).
• Steamed Vegetables – You may also wish to steam the vegetable separately and then either add them to the stir-fry mix just before it has finished cooking. They can also be served as a side dish.
• Rice Water – It is a good idea to replace the sauce’s 2 tablespoons of drinking water in favor of rice water or half drinking water half rice water blend
• Snow Peas – Snow peas make a healthy and visually pleasing addition when used in conjunction with the sliced chili and capsicum