Everyday cooking
Beef and green pepper skillet
Beef strips, green peppers and red onion are seared separately before a short finish together.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Servings / pieces
- 2
- Topic
- Everyday cooking
The order of cooking matters in this skillet meal. Brown the beef briefly and lift it out while the peppers and onion get the longer cooking time they need. Everything meets again at the end in a little savoury sauce. This keeps the vegetables slightly firm and avoids leaving the beef in the pan throughout their cooking. Choose a cut suited to quick frying, such as rump or sirloin, and slice across the grain. If you want rice alongside, put it on before preparing the vegetables.
Method
Step by step
- 01
Slice evenly
Pat the beef dry and cut across the grain into strips about 1 cm wide. Remove the pepper seeds and slice to a similar width. Cut the onion into wedges and finely chop the garlic.
- 02
Brown the beef in batches
Heat the pan well and add 1 tbsp oil. Brown the beef in two batches, leaving space between the strips. Turn to colour the surfaces, then lift into a bowl.
- 03
Cook the vegetables
Add the remaining oil. Fry the peppers and onion for 5–7 minutes, until their edges colour but the vegetables retain some bite. Add the garlic for the final 30 seconds.
- 04
Loosen the pan juices
Stir in the tomato purée and paprika briefly. Add the water and soy sauce, scraping up the browned deposits. Simmer for about 2 minutes until only a small amount of sauce remains.
- 05
Combine and check
Return the beef and its juices and turn through the vegetables until cooked. Let the beef reach at least 63 °C in the centre, then allow a 3-minute rest before eating. Add pepper and taste before adding any salt.
Times are a guide. Your hob, oven and ingredients affect the result; use the cooking cues as well as the clock.
Slice across the grain
Look for the direction of the muscle fibres and cut across them. Shorter fibres are easier to chew. Very thin strips cook especially quickly; if yours are particularly thin, finish the vegetables first and fry the beef separately just before bringing the meal together.
Give the beef enough space
A crowded pan loses heat, allowing juices to collect so the beef simmers instead of browning. Two small batches give more control. During the final stage, use only enough liquid to gloss the ingredients lightly. The finished vegetables and meat should not be swimming in sauce.
Kitchen questions
One more question?
Can I use red peppers?
Yes. They give a sweeter result and take a similar time when cut to the same size.
Can I use stewing beef?
Not for this quick method. Shoulder or shin needs a longer braise to become tender, so use a separate slow-cooked recipe for those cuts.
