If the resulting strips are still larger than bite-size, cut them in half to divide the length. The grain refers to the direction in which the muscle fibers in the beef are aligned, and it can be spotted by examining your steak for fine lines. Cutting with the grain means will result in tough, stringy steak, while cutting against it will make the steak more tender. [2] X Research source If you cannot find flank steak, look for top sirloin, beef round, or chuck steaks, instead. Steaks marked “for swissing” will also work.
If you do not have rice wine, you could also use rice wine vinegar, dry sherry, or cooking sherry. If you do not have minced garlic, you could also use 1/4 tsp (1 ml) garlic powder, instead.
There should be just enough liquid to cover the pieces of steak. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator as the steak marinates.
If you prefer a less pungent taste, you could reduce the amount of onion down to half an onion instead of a whole one. Slice both the stem and root ends off the onion. If you notice that the papery skin layers are starting to come off with one of the ends, grab these outer layers and peel them away. If they do not come off as easily, you may need to slide your fingernail beneath these outer layers to loosen them and peel them away. Cut the onion in half from top to bottom, then in half again in the same direction. Make a few slices, starting in the center of each wedge. Do this for each quarter until layered slices are left behind. These layers should break apart naturally when the slices are moved.
Use one green bell pepper and one red bell pepper. Cut into each indentation in the pepper without detaching the slices from the center of the vegetable. Note where the indented sections of the pepper begin on the inside top, near the stem. Begin each slice at this starting point, but do not slice through into the bottom of the stem. Cut straight down from top to bottom, freeing the bottom of each slice but not the top. When all slices are made, use your fingers to gently break them off from the center of the pepper. The seeded part of the pepper, located just below the stem, should not break free. As a result, you should have very few seeds to clean up. Discard this portion and turn your attention back to your strips. Cut each strip into 1-inch (2. 5-cm) chunks. You may need to cut larger sections in half lengthwise in order to get the proper size.
You could also dice a large tomato or use a drained 10-oz (310-ml) can of diced tomatoes.
Use an oil with a high smoking point, like grape seed, safflower, or canola oil. Plain vegetable oil will also work in a pinch. A wok works wonderfully for this recipe, but if you do not have one, any heavy skillet pan that is at least 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter will also work.
Stir or gently toss the beef strips frequently to ensure even cooking. Cooking the beef should only take a few minutes when it is sliced this thin, but you may need to cook it in batches if your pan is too small to allow each piece to touch the bottom.
Drain any fat from the pan before proceeding.
Stir the peppers and onions continually for 3 or 4 minutes. The pepper should start feeling soft and the onion should begin turning translucent.
Heating the gravy should take no longer than 1 or 2 minutes. Many pepper steak recipes do not include the addition of beef gravy, but if you are someone who enjoys having a sauce to go with your stir-fry, beef gravy is a convenient and appropriate option.
The tomatoes should be cooked for no longer than 30 seconds before removing the pan from the heat. Make sure that you mix the tomatoes in thoroughly as they cook. The tomatoes can be added whether you add the beef gravy or not.
You can use just about any type of rice you want, including white rice, brown rice, and fried rice. You could also serve the pepper steak over thin spaghetti noodles, egg noodles, or rice noodles.
