Classic Pepper Steak
A Nostalgic Recipe From My Childhood
Classic Pepper Steak is a nostalgic recipe for many. The flank steak used in this recipe is usually a more affordable cut of meat helping stretch your food budget.
This steak is marinated in a soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and baking soda mixture and then sautéed quickly. Simmered in a delicious au jus with peppers and onions, then served over rice it’s a simple meal that everyone in the family will love.
It’s also perfect for making in advance and reheating when ready to eat. The beef tends to tenderize even more as it sits overnight.
You can use this recipe as meal prep for busy weeks.
Food Memories
This is truly a recipe from my childhood memories. It is also a recipe I get asked for most often on my Tipsy Housewife Facebook page.
I decided to make it this past week and photograph it for the site. We recently moved into a new house and after I cooked I ran out to run an errand.
When I walked in later, the smells in the house really took me back to my childhood. We enjoyed this meal very much and I will be making it more often.
Pepper Steak or Flank Steak
Pepper Steak IS Flank Steak. My local grocery store usually has this cut of beef sliced and labeled as “Pepper Steak.”
I included a picture of this below. If you do not see this, you can also look for this cut of meat labeled as “Flank Steak.”
It is usually cut into thin strips already. IF you do not see this at your store, ask someone working in the meat department.
They will know what you are talking about. Sometimes they will even cut some pepper steak fresh for you.
Have You Heard Of Kitchen Bouquet?
This product is a throwback to a cooking era of a time gone by. They still make this delicacy and sell it in almost every grocery store I have been to.
I keep the big bottle of Kitchen Bouquet I have pictured below on hand at all times. They sell smaller bottles in the grocery store.
If you have wondered how your Grandma or Mom got the best tasting gravy or stews or soups, I can almost guarantee this was one of their secret tricks.
Kitchen Bouquet is made from fermented vegetables like carrots and cabbage and turnips. It is sort of like adding soy sauce, but Kitchen Bouquet has a very low sodium level.
This adds depth of flavor and a dark, rich brown color you want for gravies and stews.
I use Kitchen bouquet in the Classic Pepper Steak recipe as well as my Hamburgers and My French Onion Pork Chops. I also add it often to soups and stews and my gravy when I make a pan gravy. Definitely an ingredient you want to keep in your pantry.
Why Baking Soda?
The baking soda helps with the tenderizing of this meat. This is also why we use the vinegar.
The honey added to this marinade and helps take away the bitterness from both of those ingredients. It also helps the beef get a nice color and flavor.
You make this quick marinade because the meat is usually too thin to marinate very long. If you marinate thin meat, it actually starts to cure from the salt and becomes more tough.
The baking soda and vinegar will help this tenderize but also not cure.
Classic Pepper Steak Recipe
Classic Pepper Steak, the nostalgic meal every child of the 1970s remembers fondly. Slices of beef, marinated and then sautéed with green peppers and onion. Serve this over white rice with the pan gravy.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. of sliced Pepper Steak (flank steak)
- 2 to 3 medium sized Green Bell Peppers
- 1 large Yellow Onion
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of Soy Sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon of Baking Soda
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 tablespoons of White Wine Vinegar or Rice Vinegar
- 2 to 3 teaspoons of Garlic Salt
- 2 teaspoons of Onion Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of Paprika
- 2 teaspoons of Black Pepper
- 3 tablespoon of Butter
- 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup Cold Water + 1/2 tablespoon of Soy Sauce
- 2 to 3 tablespoons of Kitchen Bouquet *pictured and explained in post
- *seasoning amounts are a suggestion, there are clarification pictures, links and descriptions in the post before the recipe card for anyone who needs more information on products or methods
Instructions
- Remove pepper steak from the package and blot dry with paper towels. My store has this cut of beef labeled as "pepper steak." You can also buy flank steak and cut into strips. Season the beef cuts on all sides with the garlic salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder. Add this to a low, flat dish like a 9 x 12 casserole dish and let sit for a few minutes, then add the 2 to 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and baking soda to a bowl. Mix well then pour over the meat and toss the meat to coat. Let this sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes.
- Wash and slice your green peppers into strips as well as the onion. Set aside.
- Heat a deep sided skillet with 1 tablespoon of the butter and let this melt. Add your peppers and onions and sauté for about 10 minutes. You want these softened, but still slightly crisp. I do like to season these with some garlic salt, pepper, and a shake or two of soy sauce while it sautés. When these have cooked for about 15 minutes total, remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining two tablespoons of butter and let this get hot but not smoking. Add your beef strips carefully, and reserve the liquid in the dish you were marinating in. Sauté the beef strips, tossing and turning until they all look seared on all sides. This meat will cook quickly, as it is usually sliced quite thin. When the meat has some golden brown char to it, add the juices from the marinating dish. Bring this to a simmer, and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add your peppers and onions back to the pan. The pan should have some juices to it at this point. Add a tablespoon or two of the Kitchen Bouquet to the pan and let the meat and juices get a nice darker brown color. You may need to add a little more at the end as well. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Mix your water with the corn starch and soy sauce until smooth. Add to the skillet to thicken the gravy, then stir this continuously on low to medium heat until the gravy is slightly thickened. You do not want this super thick, more like a glaze. Check the color. If it is not a rich brown add a little more Kitchen Bouquet at a time until it is a deep rich color.
- Turn off the heat and let this sit for 10 minutes before serving the meat and peppers and onions over rice.
Notes
- The meat may be in large strips, I prefer to cook the strips when they are bigger, as the meat shrinks, then I cut the meat up with kitchen shears before serving. You can cut the meat before seasoning and cooking it.
- This meat will have a little more chew to it than other meats. I recommend cutting this up very small for children or adults who may not chew it as well. I prefer to do this after cooking.
- The meat is even more tender the next day after cooking. You can make this ahead of time and reheat on the stove and serve with freshly made rice.