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Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tbsp black pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tsp light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cornstarch/cornflour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 head small green cabbage, thinly sliced, ideally on a mandolin
  • 1 tbsp black vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar)
  • 1 tbsp chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • Cooked rice, for serving

Method

  1. Add black pepper (1/2 tbsp), garlic (3 cloves), brown sugar (2 tsp), cornstarch (1 tsp), and salt (1 tsp) in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the beef (500g) to the mixture ands tir to combine.
  2. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron pan or dutch oven on medium-high. Add beef mixture and cook, letting the beef brown before breaking it up and stirring well. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add soy sauce (2 tbsp) and stir. Transfer cooked beef to a bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving behind the fat rendered from the beef in the pan.
  3. Add cabbage (1/2 head) to the pan and let cook, undisturbed, for 1 minute so that some pieces caramelize in the pan. Toss and cook cabbage, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in vinegar (1 tbsp), cooking wine (1 tbsp), and salt to taste.
  4. Add the cooked beef and all juices back to the pan, and stir until well combined with the cabbage and warmed through, about 1 minute.
  5. Serve in bowls over rice and top with sesame seeds and scallions.