For the Love of...: ...Black Pepper Beef Stirfry

Have you ever eaten at a Chinese restaurant and the table next to you orders that dish where a mixture of meat and veggies gets slid onto a screaming hot cast iron plate resulting in the delicious sound of sizzling meat and the aromas of beef and black pepper? I was always envious because this was a dish we never really ordered when we were kids. Maybe it was because it isn't really an authentic Chinese dish or maybe because my parents didn't want their clothes smelling like black pepper beef the next day, but here is a recipe that reproduces the same flavours and aromas in the comfort of your own home. 

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

- 2 lb. beef, sliced thinly

- 1 large onion, roughly chopped

- 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced

- 1 red pepper, roughly chopped

- 1 lb. button mushrooms, halved

- 1 bunch of cilantro, stems finely chopped, tops roughly chopped 

- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

- 2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

- 4 tbsp light soy sauce

- 2 tsp white sugar

- 2 tbsp sesame oil

- 2 tbsp corn starch

- 3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

Method:

1. Marinate the sliced beef with the soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, sesame oil, and cornstarch for at least one hour

2. Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add canola oil and fry the marinated beef until brown then set aside in a dish

3. In the same pan, add a bit more oil and fry the garlic, ginger and finely chopped cilantro stems

4. Deglaze the pan with the chinese cooking wine and scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the onions and carrots and fry till soft. Add the peppers and mushrooms and cover the pan to steam for 5-6 minutes

5. Add the beef back to the pan, add half the cilantro tops, and season with soy sauce to taste

6. Garnish with cilantro and serve over steamed rice

 Enjoy!