Beef with Black Pepper Sauce (Hei Hu Jiao Niu Rou)
- Oct 19, 2025
- 1 min read
By most accounts, this dish is of Cantonese origin. The key ingredients are sliced beef, onion, garlic, ginger, and bell peppers seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, sugar, and a generous amount of cracked black pepper. I took a cue from Bee Yin Low's version in her cookbook Easy Chinese Recipes and added some Maggi Sauce to the marinade. Delicious served over steamed white rice!
Note on the sauce:
*Maggi Sauce is an umami-packed seasoning that's like a cross between soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Available in most supermarkets, Asian markets and online.
Notes
1
Trim the fat off of the beef and cut against the grain into 1" x 3" slices. Combine well with 2 tsp of baking soda and 6 tbsp water; let sit for 1-2 hours (this will tenderize the meat). Rinse the beef well with water and blot dry with paper towels.
2
Add the marinade ingredients to the beef. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can marinate up to 2 hours, but in that case, cover and refrigerate the beef.
3
Prep the veggies and stir all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
4
Mix 1 tbsp oil to the marinated meat and set aside.
5
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok or large sauté pan or wok over high heat. Add just enough beef to the pan so that they are in a single layer (you may have to cook in 2-3 batches); sauté for several minutes until browned. Sprinkle 1 tsp of Shaohsing wine along the side of the wok and toss with the beef. Pour the meat into a bowl and set aside.
6
Continue same process with a second or third batch of the remaining beef, using 1 tbsp oil and adding 1 tsp Shaohsing wine each time.
7
Wipe the pan clean and heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add the sliced onions, bell peppers, minced garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes until lightly caramelized. Add the reserved beef and any juices; stir to combine.
8
Bring the mixture back up to a boil, then add the sauce. Stir about 30 seconds or until the sauce has thickened. Remove the beef to a serving dish and garnish with a few slices of red chili and a sprinkling of cracked black pepper, if desired. Serve with steamed white rice.
Instructions
Quality Fresh 2 beef fillets ( approximately 14 ounces each )
Quality Fresh 2 beef fillets ( approximately 14 ounces each )
Quality Fresh 2 beef fillets ( approximately 14 ounces each )
Beef Wellington
Beef with Black Pepper Sauce (Hei Hu Jiao Niu Rou)
%20(1).jpg)
Prep Time
30 min
Cooking Time
20 min
Rest Time
0
Total Time
50 min
Comments