Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry Recipe (2024)

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Noemie

Really good recipe! I added more cabbage per suggestions, doubled the spice mix, and added chicken stock thickened with a bit of cornstarch at the end to make a bit of sauce. The chicken stock helped to deglaze the pan a bit too. I didn't have sherry vinegar but apple cider vinegar with a pinch of sugar worked out well. Also, as a tip, putting the beef in the freezer for about 20 minutes will help make the thin slicing easier. Next time I may add sliced red onions to the pan for more flavor.

Kevin Osinski

Not in my experience. Thinly sliced as specified and stir-fried on high heat for about 5 minutes, it will be crispy, starting to brown, and cooked just enough to lose its bitterness and turn a little sweet. It’s my favorite way to cook green cabbage. Try it!

Bob Jaffray

Steve

I'll take whatever heat, spice, salts, alliums, cheeses, alcohols, and vinegars you don't want.

Boyd Tracy

Disagree with Leslie ....you want the cabbage crispy!

Steve

Surprised by some of the lukewarm reviews - one of the best NYT recipes I've made recently. Easy, healthy, and filing, where don't even need the rice. The recipe is written a little strangely and seems to assume people today don't have Asian equipment/ingredients. I used a wok. Use a mortar/pestle for peppercorns and sesame. I've never owned sherry vin., so subbed half rice wine vin. and shaoxing (often see this sub suggested the other way). Re: the great cabbage debate, 5 min was fine for me!

Adam

This was outstanding and I actually made it with sliced chicken breast because that’s what I had. I also added half a diced onion and some julienned carrots along with the cabbage to up the veggie content. Otherwise made as written. The coating kept the chicken nice and juicy. I like this recipe during Covid times because I’m only shopping once every 2 weeks, and cabbage keeps forever in the fridge. A good dish for one of the last nights of a shopping cycle.

Joseph

I added a grating of ginger and really loved it with the peppery spice.

Carol

I know many families with young children who like spice and heat. My now-9-year-old was enjoying pickled jalapeños, bleu cheese, and Sriracha at 2. For her third birthday she requested smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches with red onion. Her current favorite food is salmon roe nigiri sushi...and her palate isn’t exactly jaded.In my experience, children who are fed only bland foods will only like bland foods. To each their own. Reduce or eliminate ingredients you don’t like.

Alexa Weibel, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking

I made this recipe exactly as is and it is SPECTACULAR! I suppose I may have to make one change next time, since my husband and I devoured it all at once: I’ll double the entire recipe so I end up with leftovers to look forward to!

WK

My partner & I made this last night with a few changes. Used Napa cabbage, sliced on the bias. Pounded a little more garlic (5 cloves) to a paste with salt for the marinade. Used 2 tbsp of coarsely ground pepper (from a mill), & did not attempt the crushing of sesame seeds with fingertips or nails. A mortar seemed saner. 4 - 5 hours of marinating, & delicious. Will certainly make again!

Rohn Jay Miller

This is an interesting opportunity to use Chinese Szechuan peppercorns, which are central in @clarkbar's delicious "Cumin Lamb Stir Fry:" (https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/dining/a-lamb-at-play-in-a-field-of-cumin.html) These peppercorns have a strong flavor, so use less, more like 1 teaspoon rough ground in this recipie.

Lily

This would be a good review without negative assumptions about why others like ingredients that do not please you. But also it's a fairly adaptable recipe, for instance, with my preference of pork tenderloin over beef sirloin.

Sharon

Zowie! Simple and delicious. I might use a little less salt and oil next time. I also cooked the steak and cabbage less than indicated, given my very hot cast iron frying pan, and thinly sliced steak and cabbage. It was a perfect, fast, delicious, and healthy meal.This is the easiest stir-fry that I know.

secrawford77

The cabbage is supposed to be "crisp-tender". Any longer than 7 minutes and it would be soggy, which would not work well with stir fry.

Sam from Minneapolis

Made a second time with full marinade time and dramatically improved the dish. Agree with others to add more cabbage

E.D.

Loved this dish for our family. It was easy to make and delicious, even for the kids. Smearing the garlic-cornstarch-etc. paste around on the meat took more time than planned, but no worries as I added some chicken stock to make it go more quickly. The leftovers will be inhaled tomorrow!

Sarah T

Super easy and very delicious!

Margaret

I don't know what went wrong. I had high expectations based on all the reviews. I thought the taste boring and texture too dry. I will not make again.

RQS Toronto

2x the recipe but came out somewhat bitter. Also used the Szechuan peppercorns (on third of all pepper). Not sure what went wrong.

Lynnene

Add more cabbage!

Dan

I really liked this recipe. It was simple and well constructed. I didn’t scan my fridge well before buying the ingredients and I found out when I started to prep that I was out of Soy Sauce (impossible, I know!). I substituted Worcestershire Sauce equally and it still came out great. I had a lonely zucchini in the fridge so I sliced it up and cooked it with the cabbage and it added a nice crunch without overwhelming the rest of the dish. I plan on adding this recipe to my permanent rotation

Mom24

I really enjoyed this. Made for a quick and delicious lunch. I used about a teaspoon and a half of coarsely ground pepper instead of whole peppercorns, smashed, because I did not want to chew large pieces of peppercorn. Other than that made as written. Def recommend.

em

So delicious! Made exactly as written using a wok. Will double next time to have bigger portions for our family of 2 adults, 2 kids. Even the moderately picky child asked for seconds. One note: Next time, I’ll shred the cabbage wider and cook for less time. 5 minutes in the pan was too much and we prefer it crunchier. Toasting the sesame seeds was worth it!

Jennifer

I made this with chicken instead of beef. It was very good! Will come back to it for quick weeknight dinners.

Reminders

Double spice for steak!!

LizzieMac

This was very good. Made almost as written, except more garlic (about 8 cloves total), and added a pint of button mushrooms. Used Szechuan peppercorns. Will absolutely make again. Hubs loved it.

Elaine G

I liked this, but felt the amount of crushed black peppercorns was too much. I would try it again with maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of GROUND black pepper. (Crushed leaves too much of the intensity which overpowered the flavors of everything else in this dish.) But I will try it again!

tintin

A few things didn’t work for me. Steak cook time seemed too long as it was very tough. Also, I like black pepper, but this was just too much. And agree that the cabbage cooks down so could be increased. Sauce flavor was nice so I’ll try again perhaps with slightly thicker slices, shorter cook time, and half the pepper and add more at the end if needed.

Padré J

Delicious, and easy. My only change was to use more garlic and pound of beef. I'll make this again, soon.

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Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make stir fry beef so it's tender? ›

How to tenderise beef – easily!
  1. Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts.
  2. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes.
  3. Rinse, pat off excess water.
  4. Proceed with stir fry recipe. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain.
Feb 23, 2019

How to marinate beef for stir fry? ›

Tenderize: In a bowl, sprinkle a small amount of baking soda over the beef and coat evenly with soy sauce, salt, starch, and oil (and optional ingredients, if using). Marinate: After sitting in the mixture for 15 to 30 minutes in the fridge, your beef is ready for stir-frying!

How to tenderize flank steak for stir fry? ›

One of the things I learned from this book is how to cook flank steak for a stir fry. Rather than just slicing it and throwing it in, take a little bit of time to marinade it and add a pinch of baking soda. Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer by actually changing the composition of the meat fibers.

What is the secret ingredient to tenderize meat? ›

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

Does cornstarch tenderize beef for stir-fry? ›

The corn starch helps keep the beef moist and tender while cooking. It's very noticeable when cooking meat tossed with vs. without corn starch — the meat without corn starch will exude liquid as it cooks, whereas meat coated with corn starch will retain its liquid content, making it more tender.

How do Chinese restaurants get their meat so tender? ›

There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts. “People go for either egg white or baking soda as they are both alkaline ingredients.

How do you make beef stir fry without it being chewy? ›

How to make beef stir fry tender? For tender beef stir fry, choose a lean cut like skirt steak or flank steak and slice it thinly against the grain. Velvet the beef by marinating it in a mixture of oil, starch, baking soda, and soy sauce for 15 minutes, then quickly pan sear it in a hot pan with oil.

What is the best oil for stir frying beef? ›

You may just need to cook the meat and veggies in separate batches. When cooking, make sure you heat the pan and oil up first before adding your ingredients — they should sizzle as soon as they hit the heat. And always use an oil with a high smoke point, like canola or peanut oil, for the best stir-fry results.

Does baking soda make meat tender? ›

A 15-minute (or slightly longer) stint in a combination of water and baking soda keeps meat tender and moist when it's cooked.

Does cornstarch tenderize meat? ›

THE CORN STARCH METHOD – Great with Chicken

Try the Cornstarch Method by coating your meat with cornstarch mixture or (slurry) and leaving it for 1/2 hour before cooking. This mixture will provide a protective barrier which helps to seal in the moisture to prevent over-cooking and the meat becoming tough.

What is the secret to cooking tender beef? ›

Salting. Most cuts of steak benefit from being salted up to an hour in advance of cooking, but especially tougher cuts. In addition to seasoning the steaks, salt helps break down proteins and make the meat more tender. Liberally salt the steaks up to an hour before cooking, then proceed according to your recipe.

Do you need to rinse baking soda off meat? ›

From there, leave it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. Then take the meat out of the container and rinse it ensuring that all—or most—of the baking soda is off the steak.

How do you make stir fry not chewy? ›

Use tender, quick-frying meats or tofu. Meats such as chicken breast, shrimp, boneless pork or sirloin steak are all great for stir-frying. If the meat isn't tender, the pieces will become tough and chewy from being cooked too fast.

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