Photo Cooking Tutorial: Beef and Pepper Stir Fry

I want to share with you one of the first meals I made for Blake when we got married. I've made this dish many times and it's always a hit! Beef and Pepper Stir Fry! This can serve 2-4 people. It just depends on how hungry you are and what you are eating it with! 

Here is what you'll need! 

cornstarch, sherry or beef broth, soy sauce, garlic, crushed red pepper, 1 lb top sirloin, oil, green and red pepper

The first thing you need to do is measure out all ingredients. Things happen fast with stir fry! 

Chop the tops and bottoms off of the peppers. 

Next chop them vertically and rip out the innards. 

Chop into thin strips. 

Chop beef into thin strips. 

Mix half of the cornstarch, sherry, and soy sauce. Then add red pepper flakes and garlic. (*Go easy on the red pepper if you don't like the heat... it gets hot!)

Use your hands to add the meat, and rub the mixture all over the meat. 

In another bowl or cup, mix a half cup of water with the remaining sherry, soy sauce, and corn starch. 

Next heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Don't use olive oil because it can't handle medium high heat. Use something like safflower or canola. 

Cook the peppers for about a minute or so. They should be crisp tender. Remove to a plate. 

Add half of the beef and cook for about a minute on each side. 

Add to the plate of peppers. Cook the remaining meat. 

Add the peppers and meat to the pan. Then give the liquid mixture you made another whisk and add to the pan. Let it get to a boil and cook for a couple minutes to thicken. 

Serve with rice or Chow mien noodles. 

Now I must be honest..... this was my first time to not serve it with rice and Blake wasn't very thrilled. I can agree with him... it's much better with rice!


Here is the recipe!

Beef and Pepper Stir Fry
Taste of Home: The Complete Guide to Country Cooking 


2 TB cornstarch, divided
4 TB sherry or beef broth, divided
4 TB soy sauce, divided
1 garlic glove, minced
1/2 to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound top sirloin, thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
3 TB oil, divided
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
Chor mein noodles or hot cooked rice

In a medium bowl, combine 1 TB cornstarch, 2 TB sherry, 2 TB soy sauce, garlic and red pepper flakes. Add beef and toss to coat. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine water with remaining cornstarch, sherry and soy sauce. Set aside.

In a wok or skillet, heat 1 TB oil over medium-high. Add peppers, stir fry for 1 minute or until crisp tender. Remove to a plate.

Add remaining oil and add half of the meat; stir fry until no longer pink. (About 2 minutes) Remove to the plate and cook the remaining meat.

Add the peppers and meat back to the skillet. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil. Stir constantly until thickened. Cook one minute longer. Serve immediately over chow mean noodles or rice.