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Beef with Five Peppercorns

Ready in 20 mins + waiting

Recipe by Graham 

Much of my cooking is biased towards French styles and methods and Steak au Poivre is one of my favourites. I love the mixture of the five peppercorns, which is much more fragrant than just using one type.

However, the Chinese often find large pices of beef intimidating, preferring to cut meat into slices and stir-fry it quickly, as in this recipe. The result is a fast dish that combines Fusion elements of East and West to give a unique slant on a classic dish.

Preparation Time

10 Minutes + waiting

Cooking Time

10 Minutes

Ingredients for Beef with Five Peppercorns

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4:

1 lb Lean beef steak
3 tablespoons groundnut (peanut) oil
2 tablespoons cognac
3 large shallots
2 tablespoons five peppercorn mixture
½ teaspoon salt
8 fl oz chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces
For the marinade
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tablespoon sesame oil

How to Cook Beef with Five Peppercorns

  1. Cut the beef into strips about 5cm (2") long and 5mm (¼") thick, cutting against the grain. Place in a dish with the marinade ingredients, mix well and leave to marinate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile peel and finely chop the shallots. If your peppercorns aren't in a bottle with a grinding top, extract 2 tablespoons of whole peppercorns and crush them either in a pestle and mortar, or with the flat of a cleaver.
  2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat until it is very hot. Add the groundnut (peanut) oil and, when the oil is hot and begins to smoke, add the beef from the marinade using a slotted spoon. Stir fry for about 2 minutes (it should be barely cooked). Remove the beef and drain in a colander.
  3. Pour all the oil from the pan and reheat over a high heat. Add the cognac. Deglaze by stirring and scraping the base of the pan or wok with a wooden spoon. Add the chopped shallots, the ground peppercorns, salt, and chicken stock then simmer over a high heat until reduced by half. Stir in the butter piece by peice.
  4. Return the beef to the pan and stir fry for 30 seconds to warm it through. Serve straight away with noodles.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
Don't be tempted to overcook the beef. It is much more tender if a little undercooked rather than overcooked.