Okay, so I’ve been seeing this Panda Express Black Pepper Angus Steak everywhere, and I finally caved. I had to try making it at home. I mean, who doesn’t love a good copycat recipe? Plus, it looked relatively simple, which is always a bonus in my book.
Getting Started
First things first, I needed to gather my ingredients. I already had most of the basics, like soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper. But I did have to make a quick run to the store for the Angus steak, some fresh bell peppers, and an onion. I also grabbed some string beans, ’cause, you know, gotta have some veggies.
The Prep Work
Once I got home, I started by slicing the steak into thin strips. The thinner, the better, I figured, for that quick-cooking stir-fry action. Then, I chopped up the bell peppers (I used red and yellow, just for some color), the onion, and the string beans. Gotta get all that chopping out of the way before the heat is on!
The Marinade Magic
Next up, the marinade. This is where the flavor really comes in. I whisked together some soy sauce, oyster sauce, a good amount of black pepper, some sugar, and a little bit of cornstarch. I’m not gonna lie, I just kinda eyeballed the amounts. I like it pretty peppery, so I went heavy on that. I tossed the steak strips in the marinade and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Time for a little kitchen cleanup while that marinated.
Stir-Fry Time!
Okay, now for the fun part! I heated up some oil in my wok (you can use a large skillet too, of course) until it was super hot. Then, I added the marinated steak and stir-fried it until it was nicely browned. I removed the steak from the wok and set it aside.
Next, I tossed in the onions and stir-fried them for a couple of minutes until they started to soften. Then, I added the bell peppers and string beans and stir-fried everything for a few more minutes until they were tender-crisp. I like my veggies to have a little bit of a bite, you know?
Bringing It All Together
Finally, I added the steak back into the wok with the veggies. I poured in a little bit more of the marinade (because why not?) and stir-fried everything together until the sauce thickened up a bit and coated everything nicely. I added cornstarch slurry, a little bit at a time.
The Taste Test
- I served it up with some steamed rice, and… wow. It was pretty darn close to the Panda Express version! The steak was tender, the veggies were perfectly cooked, and the sauce was savory, peppery, and just a little bit sweet.
- I used less sugar than the Panda Express one.
Honestly, I was pretty impressed with myself. It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was definitely close enough to satisfy my craving. And it was way cheaper than takeout! Definitely adding this one to my regular recipe rotation.
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