Beef Shreds with Red Pepper

Stir-fried beef with bell peppers comes alive when the wok runs ripping hot and the meat gets sliced thin against the grain. Flank steak, cut into matchsticks about 2½ inches long, soaks up Thai chili paste, soy, and a splash of sherry without ever turning chewy. The trick is blanching the bell pepper halves first so they stay vivid green and snappy instead of going limp in the sauce.

Cook the beef in two batches. Crowd the wok and you steam the meat instead of searing it, which means no caramelized edges and a watery sauce. A quartered garlic clove browned in peanut oil perfumes the whole dish before you ever drop the meat in. The cornstarch slurry tightens everything into a glossy coat that hangs on each shred.

Serve over jasmine rice with a chilled lager.

Chef Tips

• Slice the flank steak partially frozen for cleaner matchsticks
• Have every ingredient prepped within arm’s reach before the wok heats up. Stir-frying happens fast.
• The wok should be smoking before the oil hits, otherwise the beef sticks and tears
• Swap tamari for soy sauce to keep it gluten-free
• Leftovers reheat better in a hot skillet than the microwave

Variations

• Add slivered shiitake mushrooms with the peppers for earthy depth
• Toss in a handful of Thai basil at the end for a herbal lift
• Sub sirloin or skirt steak when flank is hard to find