Quick & Easy Pepper Steak for Two

 

This Chinese Pepper Steak was always one of my family's favorite dishes. I can't tell you how often I cooked this for the growing up. It was on rotation at least once every two weeks.  

Not only was it the best pepper steak recipe, but it was a great way to get some vegetables into my children and to make a small amount of meat stretch really far. 

I raised five children, three of them boys with hollow legs, so you just know that recipes such as this are what kept my food budget afloat!!

 

Of course there is just me in my household now. I only ever very rarely get to cook for more than one person, and so I am on a quest to downsize some of my old favorites.

  

Just because you are only one person that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some of your old favorites!  You just need to adapt them and reduce them to smaller amounts.

I reckon I am getting pretty good at that. So much so that when I go to cook for more people than just two, I find it challenging!  Funny how that goes! I cooked for 7 people for years and years without blinking an eye and now  . . .  its hard for me.

I suppose it is all dependent on what you are used to doing. Habits and all that!

 

There is nothing tastier than a delicious dish with Asian flair that is not only easy to make, but also tastier than take out!

This pepper steak stir fry is a restaurant quality meal that can easily be made in the comfort of your own home. That makes it a winner in my books!

Its also very adaptable. You can use any vegetables you like really.  Or any color of peppers. I used green today because that is what I had and to be honest that is what I have always used.

Occasionally I have bulked it out with additional vegetables such as carrots, but most of the time I kept it simple just as I am showing you here today!! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE QUICK & EASY PEPPER STEAK FOR TWO

I like to keep this really simple.  Simple ingredients, cooked simply with delicious results! 

• 1/2 pound of rump steak
• 2 TBS dark soy sauce
• 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced
• 3/4 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 TBS mild flavored cooking oil
• /2 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced into wedges
• 1 green pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1/2 rib of celery, thinly sliced
• 1/2 TBS cornstarch
• 1/2 (120ml) cup water (can use beef stock)
• 6 cherry plum tomatoes, halved (or half a large tomato cut into wedges)
• salt and black pepper to taste 

 

In the UK I always used rump steaks, but here in Canada, I use eye of round. You can usually buy them in a package containing two small steaks, which is what I used today. It cost me $2 for the meat.

Now that's what I call economical.

You can use any kind of steak you like actually. Flank steak works very well.  Just use what you can afford and what you can buy in a smaller amount. 

 

Normally I use a larger tomato, but I had cherry tomatoes in the house today and I thought why not!  Cooking is all about adapting what you have in the house to use! There is no waste here! 

I have often used the bits and ends of what is in my veggie bin that I need to be using up, making more of a stir fry than a pepper steak, but hey ho!  It all tastes good!

 

HOW TO MAKE QUICK AND EASY PEPPER STEAK

Nothing could really be easier than this. If you have everything cut and ready to go before you start, it goes together in a flash!! 

Slice the steak across the grain into thin strips, about 1/8 inch thick. Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Add the steak and toss well together.

Heat the oil in a large deep skillet. Add the steak. Cook, stirring, over medium high heat until browned. Cover and simmer for about 15 to 20, until nice and tender.

    

 

Return the heat to high and add the onions, peppers and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are crispy tender.

Whisk together the water and corn starch. Add to the pan and cook, stirring for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely thickened. Add the tomatoes and heat through. Serve hot.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING QUICK & EASY PEPPER STEAK

To make your steak much easier to slice, you can place it into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Partially freezing the meat firms it up and makes it easier to get super thin slices!

I have a handy tip that I use for cutting up peppers.  Just cut the top off and the bottom off and then take a sharp knife and cut out the core.  You then have a round hollow pepper, ready to slice up.  Easy peasy.    The ends get chopped and added to a container I keep in the freezer, ready to use in soups and sauces, etc.

Some other Asian flavors for two recipes from my kitchen that you might enjoy are:

SHEET PAN BEEF & BROCCOLI FOR TWO -An easy Asian dish with crispy tender broccoli and deliciously tender strips of beef. Just as good or better than a takeaway. No frying involved either so its probably healthier! 

CHINESE ORANGE CHICKEN FOR TWO - This has a fresh orange flavor and a slight sweetness, but not overly so. At the same time it is garlicky and tangy, a bit gingery and there is a tiny bit of heat.  Perfectly delicious!

CURRIED BEEF FRIED RICE - Everything you would expect with a fried rice recipe, except this one has the addition of ground steak and a bit of zip from the use of curry powder.  Yummilicious!
 

Quick & Easy Pepper Steak for Two

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Delicious and simple to make. One of my old time family favorite recipes, cut back to feed only two people.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound of rump steak
• 2 TBS dark soy sauce
• 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced
• 3/4 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 TBS mild flavoured cooking oil
• /2 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced into wedges
• 1 green pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1/2 rib of celery, thinly sliced
• 1/2 TBS cornstarch
• 1/2 (120ml) cup water (can use beef stock)
• 6 cherry plum tomatoes, halved (or half a large tomato cut into wedges)
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Slice the steak across the grain into thin strips, about 1/8 inch thick. Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Add the steak and toss well together.
2. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet. Add the steak. Cook, stirring, over medium high heat until browned. Cover and simmer for about 15 to 20, until nice and tender.
3. Return the heat to high and add the onions, peppers and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are crispy tender.
4. Whisk together the water and corn starch. Add to the pan and cook, stirring for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely thickened. Add the tomatoes and heat through. Serve hot.

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