This Chinese Pepper Steak was always one of my family's favorite dishes. I can't tell you how often I cooked this for the growing up. It was on rotation at least once every two weeks.
Not only was it the best pepper steak recipe, but it was a great way to get some vegetables into my children and to make a small amount of meat stretch really far.
I raised five children, three of them boys with hollow legs, so you just know that recipes such as this are what kept my food budget afloat!!
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Of course there is just me in my household now. I only ever very rarely get to cook for more than one person, and so I am on a quest to downsize some of my old favorites.
Just because you are only one person that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some of your old favorites! You just need to adapt them and reduce them to smaller amounts.
I reckon I am getting pretty good at that. So much so that when I go to cook for more people than just two, I find it challenging! Funny how that goes! I cooked for 7 people for years and years without blinking an eye and now . . . its hard for me.
I suppose it is all dependent on what you are used to doing. Habits and all that!
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There is nothing tastier than a delicious dish with Asian flair that is not only easy to make, but also tastier than take out!
This pepper steak stir fry is a restaurant quality meal that can easily be made in the comfort of your own home. That makes it a winner in my books!
Its also very adaptable. You can use any vegetables you like really. Or any color of peppers. I used green today because that is what I had and to be honest that is what I have always used.
Occasionally I have bulked it out with additional vegetables such as carrots, but most of the time I kept it simple just as I am showing you here today!!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE QUICK & EASY PEPPER STEAK FOR TWO
I like to keep this really simple. Simple ingredients, cooked simply with delicious results!
- 1/2 pound of rump steak
- 2 TBS dark soy sauce
- 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 3/4 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 TBS mild flavored cooking oil
- /2 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced into wedges
- 1 green pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1/2 rib of celery, thinly sliced
- 1/2 TBS cornstarch
- 1/2 (120ml) cup water (can use beef stock)
- 6 cherry plum tomatoes, halved (or half a large tomato cut into wedges)
- salt and black pepper to taste
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In the UK I always used rump steaks, but here in Canada, I use eye of round. You can usually buy them in a package containing two small steaks, which is what I used today. It cost me $2 for the meat.
Now that's what I call economical.
You can use any kind of steak you like actually. Flank steak works very well. Just use what you can afford and what you can buy in a smaller amount.
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Normally I use a larger tomato, but I had cherry tomatoes in the house today and I thought why not! Cooking is all about adapting what you have in the house to use! There is no waste here!
I have often used the bits and ends of what is in my veggie bin that I need to be using up, making more of a stir fry than a pepper steak, but hey ho! It all tastes good!
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HOW TO MAKE QUICK AND EASY PEPPER STEAK
Nothing could really be easier than this. If you have everything cut and ready to go before you start, it goes together in a flash!!
Slice the steak across the grain into thin strips, about 1/8 inch thick. Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Add the steak and toss well together.
Heat the oil in a large deep skillet. Add the steak. Cook, stirring, over medium high heat until browned. Cover and simmer for about 15 to 20, until nice and tender.
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Return the heat to high and add the onions, peppers and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are crispy tender.
Whisk together the water and corn starch. Add to the pan and cook, stirring for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely thickened. Add the tomatoes and heat through. Serve hot.
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HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING QUICK & EASY PEPPER STEAK
To make your steak much easier to slice, you can place it into the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes. Partially freezing the meat firms it up and makes it easier to get super thin slices!
I have a handy tip that I use for cutting up peppers. Just cut the top off and the bottom off and then take a sharp knife and cut out the core. You then have a round hollow pepper, ready to slice up. Easy peasy. The ends get chopped and added to a container I keep in the freezer, ready to use in soups and sauces, etc.
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Some other Asian flavors for two recipes from my kitchen that you might enjoy are:
SHEET PAN BEEF & BROCCOLI FOR TWO -An easy Asian dish with crispy tender broccoli and deliciously tender strips of beef. Just as good or better than a takeaway. No frying involved either so its probably healthier!
CHINESE ORANGE CHICKEN FOR TWO - This has a fresh orange flavor and a slight sweetness, but not overly so. At the same time it is garlicky and tangy, a bit gingery and there is a tiny bit of heat. Perfectly delicious!
CURRIED BEEF FRIED RICE - Everything you would expect with a fried rice recipe, except this one has the addition of ground steak and a bit of zip from the use of curry powder. Yummilicious!
Quick & Easy Pepper Steak for Two
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min
Delicious and simple to make. One of my old time family favorite recipes, cut back to feed only two people.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound of rump steak
- 2 TBS dark soy sauce
- 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 3/4 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 TBS mild flavoured cooking oil
- /2 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced into wedges
- 1 green pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1/2 rib of celery, thinly sliced
- 1/2 TBS cornstarch
- 1/2 (120ml) cup water (can use beef stock)
- 6 cherry plum tomatoes, halved (or half a large tomato cut into wedges)
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the steak across the grain into thin strips, about 1/8 inch thick. Whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Add the steak and toss well together.
- Heat the oil in a large deep skillet. Add the steak. Cook, stirring, over medium high heat until browned. Cover and simmer for about 15 to 20, until nice and tender.
- Return the heat to high and add the onions, peppers and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are crispy tender.
- Whisk together the water and corn starch. Add to the pan and cook, stirring for 4 to 5 minutes, until nicely thickened. Add the tomatoes and heat through. Serve hot.
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This delicious Greek Chicken & Cucumber Salad recipe is what summer eating is all about! Simple ingredients and fresh flavors, with minimal fuss!
Nobody wants to be spending all their time in the kitchen when they can be outside enjoying the warmer temperatures! Quick and easy recipes are the order of the day!
This recipe I am sharing with you today is one that I downsized from a recipe I found on the New York Times for a delicious Greek Chicken with Cucumber Feta Salad.
The original recipe served four people. There is only one of me and whilst I am keen to try new things, I don't want to be eating them four days in a row, although I can manage to enjoy it at least twice.
So I downsized it to feed only two people. I have also streamlined the instructions and made them a bit easier to understand. At least I think that I have!
This is built for two and deliciously keto, low carb and diabetic friendly as well!
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What you have here is a delicious salad with very Mediterranean flavor and textures. Broken, bruised cucumbers, baby plum tomatoes, garlic, yogurt, feta cheese, salt and pepper.
I added a bit of red onion because I like the spark that it brings to the table, but you can leave it out by all means.
Something really wonderful happens to cucumbers when you bash them around a bit and bruise them. The exercise creates lots of rough edges which are perfect for soaking up all of that lovely yogurt dressing!
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The chicken is likewise filled with flavor. Marinated for about 15 minutes in a garlicky yogurt and oregano marinade it becomes really tender.
I loved the garlic and herby flavor that the marinade gave to the chicken. It made the chicken really moist and juicy!
The chicken and the salad together were a brilliantly tasty combination!!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GREEK CHICKEN & CUCUMBER SALAD
There is nothing spectacularly out of the ordinary here. Fresh an simple ingredients put together in an incredibly simple and delicious way!
For the chicken:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
- 1/2 cup (125g) Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- oil to grease the grill or grill pan
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For the salad:
- 3/4 pound seedless cucumber (Japanese, mini seedless or Persian)
- 1/2 pound ripe baby plum tomatoes
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (65g) Greek yogurt
- 2 ounces (60g) feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 clove garlic, peeled and grated
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 6 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- thinly sliced red onions, optional
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You can use either full fat or low fat yogurt here. Both work well. I used fresh fat garlic cloves for this. My chicken was free range free from antibiotics chicken. I trimmed it of all the fat that I could.
I used dry oregano, but you could use fresh oregano. Just double the amount and chop it.
I used Kalamata olives in brine. I had to pit them and then tear them in half. Confession here, I always like to suck on the pits while I am working. They have loads of flavor in them.
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I used block feta cheese in brine that I found at the store which was made here locally in Nova Scotia. It was lovely. The brand is Holmestead. It has a lovely flavor and texture.
I have not been paid or given free product to tell you that either. I speak the truth as I find it. I am enjoying discovering new things now that I am back in Canada and I like to share them with you when I do.
I used local hothouse English cucumbers, which are all that are available to me in my small town, and baby plum tomatoes.
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HOW TO MAKE GREEK CHICKEN & CUCUMBER SALAD
This was really very simple to make. Whisk together the ingredients for the chicken marinade and then marinate it while you are making the salad.
The most unusual part of making this was the bashing of the cucumber to bruise and crack it. I had never done this myself. I had seen Molly Yeh do it on one of her programs the other day however and I was keen to try it.
I didn't have baby cucumbers, but I used half an English cucumber and just gave it a good bashing with the flat side of my meat pounder.
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Then I ripped it apart with my hands into small chunks, which sounds a lot more aggressive than it really was. I didn't bash it very hard, just bruised it and it broke apart very easily.
Apparently this helps to create nice craggy edges to help soak up all that dressing. Who knew?
Now that I have tried it I will be doing it regularly. I loved the resultant rough looking bits of cucumber! Much more interesting than flat cubes!
The dressing is made by mashing grated garlic, yogurt, crumbled feta and some seasoning together with a fork. Easy peasy, and oh so delicious. Do remember that feta cheese and olives are both very salty ingredients so be careful when salting the dressing.
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The marinated chicken is simply grilled until golden brown and down and then served along side of the salad. I grilled my chicken in my Cuisinart Griddler machine. I love the results it gives.
I had one of these in the UK which I used a lot and so it was one of the first things I purchased for myself back here in Canada. You can use either the ridged side of the plates, for grilling meats and panini, or the flat side for making pancakes, etc. It opens out flat for that purpose.
Its a really cool little machine. I have the waffle plates for it as well. Yummy!!
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Altogether this made for a really delicious and simple meal. It was quite healthy as well I think. I very much enjoyed it.
If you are looking for more chicken to grill might I recommend the following:
MORROCAN SPICED GRILLED CHICKEN & COUSCOUS SALAD - I love Moroccan flavours . . . cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic . . . lemon . . . olive oil . . . so delicious. Both the chicken and the salad benefit from them in this delicious summery recipe.
GRILLED PEANUT CHICKEN - A delicious marinade which yields a really tasty bit of chicken. I like to make extra marinade to dip the finished chicken in when I am eating it. Its just so tasty!
EASY CHICKEN GYROS - Gyros are a Greek sandwich which consists of grilled meat (chicken, lamb, beef or pork) which has been marinated in a delicious marinade prior to grilling, sliced and layered onto a flat bread along with some salad and some creamy Tzatzki sauce. These are quick, easy and most delicious!
Greek Chicken & Cucumber Salad
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
This is simple to make, delicious and filled with flavor. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are marinated and then grilled to perfection and served along side a deliciously creamy and crunchy salad!
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
- 1/2 cup (125g) Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- oil to grease the grill or grill pan
For the salad:
- 3/4 pound seedless cucumber (Japanese, mini seedless or Persian)
- 1/2 pound ripe baby plum tomatoes
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (65g) Greek yogurt
- 2 ounces (60g) feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 clove garlic, peeled and grated
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 6 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- thinly sliced red onions, optional
Instructions
- Mix the garlic and yogurt for the chicken marinade together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the chicken, turning to coat it in the marinade. Cover and set aside while you begin the salad.
- Take the cucumber and bash it about a bit with the flat end of a meat pounder, until it is bruised and cracked. Tear it into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces and place into a colander along with the tomatoes. Add the salt and toss to combine. Leave to drain in the sink.
- Grease your grill or grill pan with a bit of oil. Heat to medium/high. Scrape off any excess marinade from the chicken and place into the grill/grill pan. Cook until it is well browned and releases easily from the pan on one side then flip and cook longer, until cooked through and the juices run clear. (5 to 7 minutes each side. If using a closed grill, 7 to 8 minutes altogether.)
- Leave to rest while you finish the salad.
- Measure the yogurt for the salad into a bowl. Add the garlic and feta cheese and mash well with a fork until you get a chunky paste. Shake the cucumbers to get rid of any excess moisture and add to the bowl along with the olives. Stir to combine and coat everything well. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. (Remember feta cheese and olives are salty.)
- Serve the grilled chicken with the salad on the side.
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One of my favorite sandwiches has to be the classic tuna melt sandwich. I have been making myself this delicious sandwich for years and years, even before I knew there was such a thing as a tuna melt!
Usually I make it in a skillet on top of the stove and its delicious. My own favorite creamy tuna salad, with lots of cheese and crisp buttery bread. Its fabulous!
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This past year I bought myself an air fryer however and I am keen to use it whenever I can. I decided to try it out with making my tuna melt today and I can tell you now that I will never make a tuna melt any other way from now on!
Yes, It is that good! Seriously tasty!
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And its not that the tuna salad is any tastier. It is the same old tuna salad recipe I have been making for eons. Tuna, mayonnaise, pickle relish and and a few other bits.
I haven't changed the cheese either. Its good old processed cheese slices. Perfect for a tuna melt.
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Its the buttery, light, crispness of the bread! I mean wowza!! Wowza!! This is a game changer here.
The bread stays true to form, not squished in any way, and it is so light and crisp and buttery that it practically melts in the mouth!
This is some serious deliciousness here! Why didn't I think of this before!!!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AN AIR FRYER TUNA MELT
For the tuna salad:
- 1 (150g/5 ounce) tin of albacore tuna, packed in water, well drained and flaked
- 2 TBS mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 TBS pickle relish
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp celery salt or fine sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
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You will also need:
- softened butter for spreading
- 4 slices white sandwich bread
- 3 slices processed cheese, divided
Simple ingredients as always!!
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I always use Albacore Tuna. It has a lovely light color and a beautiful flavor. I have been buying it for 40 years now on the advice of an older Italian Nonna I met in the grocery store one day.
She saw the tuna I was buying and quickly told me, no buy. Its garbage. She said only buy Albacore, its the best, and so I did and I have never looked back.
She also told me that rounded blunt ended carrots were the sweetest and best. She was right on that score also!
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Some of you may balk at my use of processed cheese slices for my tuna melt, but you know, what works works. And they taste good.
I do buy the really good ones. Kraft Extra Cheddar Cheese slices. They taste the best, and are more like American Cheese Slices, which are the best in my humble opinion. But we can't get them here.
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Also, plain old wonder bread. White. It works best. You can try an artisanal bread if you want, but I think they get tooo crunchy and hard. Gum ripping.
Wonder white works best. Again, this is only my humble opinion. I know what I like and this is what I like.
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HOW TO MAKE AN AIR FRYER TUNA MELT
Depending on the type of air fryer you have you will only be able to cook one of these at a time. Begin by making the tuna salad. Drain your tuna well, flake into a bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients well.
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice into the air fryer basket. Top with 1 1/2 slices of cheese, taking care that the cheese is not placed past the edges of the bread. Top with half of the tuna salad, spreading it out over the cheese. Place another slice of the buttered bread on top of the tuna salad, butter side up.
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Place the basket into the air fryer and shut the door. set to cook at 380*F/193*C. Air fry for 8 minutes, flipping the sandwich over at the halfway mark.
The sandwich is done when the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted throughout. Remove and keep warm while you cook the other sandwich.
Using a serrated knife, cut in half diagonally to serve.
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Just look at how nice and crisp and buttery the bread turns out, and yet still soft inside. That tuna salad is perfect just the way it is. Not too much mayonnaise, just the right amount. And the cheese has the perfect amount of ooze.
In short, this is the perfect tuna melt. I really hope if you have an air fryer you will want to try this delicious sandwich out. I think I am going to try making a grilled cheese like this next.
If the results of this sandwich are anything to go by, a grilled cheese will be AMAZING done in the air fryer!
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If you are on the hunt for a delicious sandwich today, here are a few of my other options:
CROISSANT TURKEY CLUB SANDWICH - I do love a good club sandwich, but they are often too large for me to manage to eat. This one, done on a flaky buttery croissant is not only delicious, but is the perfect size for my aging appetite!
WORLD'S GREATEST HAM SANDWICH - A tall claim to make, but I stand by it. With ham, tomatoes, lettuce, home picked onions, cheese and an herbed mayonnaise.
WORLD'S BEST BLT - Another tall claim that I stand by. Crisp bacon, crisp rocket leaves, sweet tomatoes, a tasty basil mayonnaise and a house dressing drizzle. All served on a rustic baguette.
Air Fryer Tuna Melt
Yield: 2 sandwiches
Prep time: 7 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 15 Min
This air fryer tuna melt is so delicious! Crisp and buttery on the outside and filled with lots of tasty tuna salad and gooey cheese on the inside.
Ingredients
For the tuna salad:
- 1 (150g/5 ounce) tin of albacore tuna, packed in water, well drained and flaked
- 2 TBS mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 TBS pickle relish
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp celery salt or fine sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
You will also need:
- softened butter for spreading
- 4 slices white sandwich bread
- 3 slices processed cheese, divided
Instructions
- Depending on the type of air fryer you have you will only be able to cook one of these at a time.
- Begin by making the tuna salad. Drain your tuna well, flake into a bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients well.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice into the air fryer basket. Top with 1 1/2 slices of cheese, taking care that the cheese is not placed past the edges of the bread. Top with half of the tuna salad, spreading it out over the cheese. Place another slice of the buttered bread on top of the tuna salad, butter side up.
- Place the basket into the air fryer and shut the door. set to cook at 380*F/193*C. Air fry for 8 minutes, flipping the sandwich over at the halfway mark.
- The sandwich is done when the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted throughout. Remove and keep warm while you cook the other sandwich.
- Using a serrated knife, cut in half diagonally to serve.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
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