Black pepper beef cubes with peas and sweet corn
Beef cubes seared until caramelised, then tossed with peas, sweetcorn and onion in a peppery sauce — great with rice.
- 25 min
- Serves 3
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Yang-deficient people feel the cold and often have cold hands and feet, and rainy Qingming is both damp and cool. Beef builds qi and blood, black pepper warms the middle, and peas and sweetcorn strengthen digestion and drain damp — warming without being greasy.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Marinate the beef with the soy sauce, cornflour and a little oil for 15 minutes. Blanch the peas and sweetcorn for 1 minute and drain.
- 2Heat the oil in a wok over high heat, spread the beef in one layer and sear both sides until browned and medium-rare, then lift out.
- 3Fry the garlic and onion in the same wok until fragrant, then add the peas and sweetcorn and toss.
- 4Return the beef, add the oyster sauce, black pepper and 2 tbsp water, toss over high heat until glossy and serve with rice.
Cautions
- If you are prone to sore throats or a dry mouth, halve the black pepper.
Chef's tips
- Don't crowd the wok; one layer of beef browns properly instead of stewing in its juices.
The TCM view
Beef is sweet and warm, tonifying the spleen and stomach, building qi and blood and strengthening sinews and bones. Black pepper is pungent and hot, warming the middle and dispelling cold. Peas are sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and draining damp. Sweetcorn is sweet and neutral, settling the middle and promoting urination. Warming without drying.
