Spicy Beef and Pepper Stir (Printable)

Tender beef with bell peppers in a spicy, savory stir fry—perfect for a quick, satisfying dinner.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef

01 - 1 lb flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
02 - 1 tbsp soy sauce
03 - 1 tbsp cornstarch
04 - 1 tsp sesame oil

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
06 - 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
07 - 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
08 - 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
09 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

→ Sauce

11 - 3 tbsp soy sauce
12 - 1 tbsp oyster sauce
13 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
14 - 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce, adjust to taste
15 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
16 - 2 tbsp water

→ For Cooking

17 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil (canola or sunflower)

→ Garnish

18 - 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
19 - 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, optional

# How To Make It:

01 - Combine sliced beef with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, cornstarch, and sesame oil in a bowl. Toss to coat evenly and let marinate for 10 minutes.
02 - Whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, brown sugar, and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
03 - Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the marinated beef for 2 to 3 minutes until browned but not fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
04 - Add remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan. Stir-fry onions, garlic, and ginger for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Add bell pepper strips and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until tender-crisp.
06 - Return beef to the pan, pour in prepared sauce, and stir to coat all ingredients evenly. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens and beef is cooked through.
07 - Remove from heat. Garnish with spring onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

# Tips from dashanddishes:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than takeout, which means you can make restaurant-quality stir fry on a random weeknight without the delivery app guilt.
  • The sauce strikes that perfect balance between savory, spicy, and just sweet enough—every single bite tastes like you actually knew what you were doing.
  • Watching the beef sear and the peppers stay crisp while everything comes together in one pan is oddly satisfying, like playing a tiny game of timing and heat.
02 -
  • Slicing the beef against the grain is not optional—it's the difference between tender strips and chewy ones, and it only takes an extra minute.
  • Don't crowd the pan when searing beef; if you do, it steams instead of browning, and you lose all that flavor-building crust.
  • Keep your peppers moving and don't let them sit in the pan too long, or they'll go from crisp to soggy in seconds.
03 -
  • Have everything prepped and ready before you start cooking; wok cooking waits for no one, and scrambling for a knife mid-sear ruins the magic.
  • If your pan isn't big enough and you're doubling the recipe, cook in batches—overcrowding drops the temperature and turns everything into a steam situation instead of a sear.

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