We’ve had this dish a few times now and we like it. Lane loves Asian food and I enjoy it as well. This recipe has a great spicy deliciousness. I just wish it made a few more leftover servings. It makes about 4 all together. So, that’s just one night off before having to figure out what to make next.
I adapted this recipe from The Woks of Life’s Beef and Pepper Stir-fry recipe. I had a lot of fun on her site. I went through one rabbit whole to the next with her “linkbacks”(? is that what they’re called?). And just now, I realized that her recipe has a helpful little widget where you can adjust the servings, SMH.
When I saw these at my local supermercado I instantly thought of this recipe. To be honest, I didn’t hold out much hope that these would be hot. It’s my understanding that in general the Spanish don’t like a lot of spiciness in their food. Maybe I should have been a little more cautious…they do look like a hottish kind of pepper, they’re labeled “picante”, and they’re from Green Giant (an American company)…
Initially I didn’t detect any spiciness by the smell or on my hands…yes I julienned all of the peppers without any gloves. Psh, who needs gloves? An hour later my fingers and hands were on FIRE! I really wanted to soak them in some nice cold milk but I hate being wasteful. Takeaway – grab a pair of those cheap plastic gloves you find in the produce aisle (picking up produce naked handed is a no no) and wear while preparing your peppers.
These types of peppers can be anywhere from mild to super spicy. Luckily, the cooked dish itself didn’t taste too terribly spicy. I thought it had just the right amount of spicy to it. Lane thought it was pretty spicy. If you’re worried about the spiciness, you can substitute some of the picante peppers with some more mild type peppers.
For the beef we used Filete 1 A de añojo which translates to 1 year old fillet or yearling (oh no 😕). Poor thing , I’m sorry. You were very tasty. Oh my gosh, I feel so bad while writing this. Thank you, little thing! May you rest in peace. Now that we’ve all said grace, it’s time to move along.
Spicy Pepper Beef
Serves 4
For the beef and marinade:
- 12 oz (0,366 kg) filete 1 A de añojo or flank steak – cut into 3″ strips
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon crispy chili in oil
- 1 slightly heaped tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
For the remainder of the dish:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 long hot peppers, deseeded and julienned into 3″ strips
- 1 tablespoon wine (we used red but white would be fine too) (original recipe calls for Shaoxing Wine)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- fresh ground black pepper, or white if you have it
- 1/4 cup chicken stock , optional (if you want a little more sauce)
Slice the beef into 3 to 5 inch strips, depending on your preference. Place in a bowl. Mix all the marinade ingredients together, than add to sliced beef. Combine until the beef is nicely coated. Let the beef sit out at room temp for 30 minutes.
Mince the garlic. Deseed and julien hot peppers into 3 inch strips. Set aside until you’re ready to cook.
When you’re ready to cook, add oil to a large sauce pan (or wok) and place over high heat until it’s almost smoking. Sear the beef until it’s browned but still a little rare. Turn off the heat while you transfer the beef to a bowl. Leave any oil or fat in the pan.
Heat the pan back up to medium high heat and add the garlic and peppers. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, then spread the wine around to de-glaze it. Stir-fry for another 20 seconds and add the beef back to the pan, including any juices from bowl. Add salt, sugar, soy sauce and freshly ground pepper. Turn heat back to high and stir-fry an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
If you would like a little extra sauce, add the chicken stock to further de-glaze the pan and reduce the liquid slightly. The cornstarch from the marinade will help thicken it up. Serve immediately over rice.