Pressure Cooker Chinese Pepper Steak
Pepper Steak is a classic of Chinese American restaurants, usually found between General Tso’s chicken and Crab Rangoon on the menu of your local takeout place.
This is not a value judgement. My first question about a meal is not “is it authentic?”, but “how does it taste?” Chinese American cooking is one of the first fusion cuisines, where immigrants merged their old and new homelands to come up with something delicious. There’s a reason the classics of Chinese American restaurants are classics – they are just good recipes.
And, here’s where I take a few liberties. I’m not stir frying; I’m using my pressure cooker. It makes this a quick meal for a busy weeknight, and it’s hands-off once I lock the lid. I prefer flat iron steak – after all, steak is in the name of the recipe – but it will work with any cut of chuck roast. (Flat iron is the chuck blade roast cut into a long steak shape, and is one of my favorite cheap cuts of beef.) 2
I finish the recipe with a corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce. (There is no evaporation in a pressure cooker, thanks to the sealed cooking environment.) The sauce needs some help, and the corn starch turns it into a glossy coating for the meat. Serve over rice, and dinner is ready.
Video
Pressure Cooker Chinese Pepper Steak – Time Lapse [YouTube.com]
Pressure Cooker Chinese Pepper Steak
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Print Recipe
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Pressure Cooker Chinese Pepper Steak – the Chinese American classic as a hands-off dinner from the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 green onions (aka scallions), trimmed and sliced thin
- 2 pounds flat iron steak (or chuck blade steak, or boneless chuck roast), cut into 2 inch by 1/2 inch thick strips
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large onion, cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch squares
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch squares
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 2 inch squares
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce (or substitute 2 tablespoons brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
Garnish and Sides
- Minced green onions (scallions) for garnish
- Rice
Instructions
- Fry the garlic, ginger, and green onion: Heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat in the pressure cooker pot until shimmering. (Use Sauté mode in an electric pressure cooker.) Stir in the garlic, ginger, and green onion, and fry until you smell garlic, about 30 seconds.
- Pressure cook the beef: Sprinkle the beef with the kosher salt. Add the beef, onions, and peppers to the pot, and stir to coat with the garlic/ginger/scallion oil. Pour in the water and soy sauce, then stir in the hoisin sauce to coat the beef. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 12 minutes in an electric PC or 8 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes.
- Finish the beef: Remove the lid from the pressure cooker, and stir in the toasted sesame oil. Whisk the cold water and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir into the pot to thicken the sauce. Serve over white rice or noodles, sprinkling with minced green onions for garnish.
Notes
- This recipe will fit in a 6 quart or larger pressure cooker. I love my 6 quart Instant Pot pressure cooker.
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Chinese
Pressure Cooker Chinese Pepper Steak
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Pressure Cooker Chinese Pepper Steak
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My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos
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Mike. The recipe looks great and I will be making it. Just wanted you to know the video is not working.
Whoops! Should be fixed now. Thank you!
Mike, the video was great. As previously mentioned, I’m definitely going to try this. So, I don’t have to go and buy yet another cut of beef, do you think some flank steak would substitute? Thanks
Cary, sorry for the late response, just noticed this comment. Flank steak cooks differently than chuck steak. If you use it, it will take longer to cook – I’m still working on the timings – but I’d go 15 to 20 minutes under pressure to start, as a guess.
I just made this tonight for dinner and it was super easy, really good, and kid approved!! The only reason I gave 4 stars and not 5 was because it was a little on the bland side but I will make this again.
★★★★
Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi there! We tried this recipe tonight and loved it, but the instructions don’t say what to do with the onion. We threw it in with the beef and peppers, but our dish came out quite soupy, so we weren’t sure if that was right.
Whoops – fixed – added the onion to the instructions. You did the right thing, adding it with the peppers. The sauce is thin in this recipe – it is just soy sauce thickened with cornstarch.
Great recipe! My husband loved it. Thank you for posting.
★★★★★
Made this last night using venison steak, which always benefits from pressure cooking. This was easy to put together and my husband and I both liked it. The peppers were a little on the mushy side and it was a little bit bland, but we eat a lot of peppers and have a lot of venison, so we might make it again and add some spice next time. Thanks for a better than average starting point!
★★★
Hi Mike! If I halve the no.of servings (there are just 2 of us at home), do I have to adjust the cooking time? Thanks!
No, it takes the same amount of time to cook.
Making this tonight. Using beef round tip steak. Tough cut, but it’s what I have. Going to poke some tenderize into it. My son brought green peppers and jalapeños yesterday so I will incorporate them (seeded and sliced very thin.) pretty new at it.
But where is the black pepper?
PS. I enjoy your help with using the IP!
Just made this for dinner. It was great. I made it in a 3qt mini instant pot. (There’s only 2of us). Cut back on the amount of beef. Made the rest just like the recipe. Served over steamed white rice. I used just a little corn starch to slightly thicken the sauce. Husband liked it. It’s a keeper:)
This turned out very good. The meat was much more tender than I expected.
The only downnside was the peppers were over cooked (mushy) for my taste.
★★★★
OMG, my first try at the instapot and this was what I wanted to do. It came out perfect, I can’t stop eating it. Thank you.
My boyfriend and I liked it. I did not think it was bland. I added asparagus and carrots. I will make it again!
★★★★★
Have made this twice! We love it! I use London broil. I don’t put the peppers and onions in with the meat as we like it less done. After cooking the meat I add the peppers and onions in on saute until desired doneness. Then thicken. We have added fresh mushrooms to this.
★★★★★
Definitely a keeper!! The meat was so tender it almost melts in your mouth. I am not a huge fan of peppers so I used a bag of tri-pepper/onion blend. They were small enough and soft enough that I didn’t mind them at all. Served over basmati rice. Delicious!!! 😋
★★★★★