Mastering the Art of Beef Pepper Rice: A Pepper Lunch Recipe Inspired Culinary Journey

Popular Japanese DIY teppan restaurant chain Pepper Lunch Recipe is well-known for its flavorful dishes and sizzling hot plates. You can replicate a similar experience at home with a basic recipe for a Pepper Steak Rice Plate, even though the specific recipe for Pepper Lunch’s signature dishes may be trade secrets.

In just a few easy steps, this Beef Pepper Rice is ready in no time! With just a few simple ingredients, you can make this homemade version of the well-liked sizzling beef pepper rice from Pepper Lunch.

One of those recipes that comes together so quickly is this beef stir fry with rice and corn, which is why I love making it on busy weeknights. This recipe for beef pepper rice is so flavorful and easy to make, and I adore that. I can definitely eat all four servings of this dish by myself because I don’t want to share.

If you’ve never heard of Pepper Lunch before, let me give you the 411. It is a very popular Japanese restaurant franchise. You can think of it like “fast food” but a lot more high quality! Hot skillet plates are heated to 500°F and then loaded with rice, thinly sliced steak, sauce, and veggies. The cool part is it is served raw to you on the table sizzling and you get to see it cook! They have two different sauces you can pick from and it’s typically topped with sweet corn and green onions. Now let’s make it at home. 

INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED

• Rice: For this recipe, you’ll need cooked, warm rice. Usually, all I do is prepare and cook the recipe in my rice cooker while making jasmine rice.
• Shabu Shabu Beef – feel free to use any type of beef brisket, but I used mine. It reduces preparation and cooking time because it is pre-sliced extremely thin. The beef literally takes only a few minutes to brown throughout. If you would prefer to use a different cut, Pepper Lunch uses short plate beef slice and chuck tender.
•  Oil: To help brown the beef, I drizzle a little oil into my skillet.
• Sauce: I’m not saying that this sauce tastes exactly like Pepper Lunch. Here’s what I think about it.
•  Butter: You won’t be sorry to add it to this. My butter is unsalted.
• corn: I used sweet corn that was canned.
• Scallions: the more, the more appetizing.

HOW TO MAKE BEEF PEPPER RICE

• Prepare jasmine rice using your preferred technique. My rice cooker is used.
• To make the sauce, mix together the soy sauce, maple syrup, mirin, water, onion powder, pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside.
• Add a splash of oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat, then add the beef.
  Cook the food until it is 80–90% browned, then drain any extra liquid from the pan.
• Move the steak to one side of the pan so that there is room in the center for a bowl of rice. Place half of the butter in the center of the pan and allow it to melt for a brief period of time.
• Scoop about 3 cups of rice into a bowl and place it over the butter in the center of the pan.
• Take out the bowl, cover the rice and steak with the sauce, and sprinkle some corn on top. Give everything two to three minutes to cook together, untouched. The rice’s bottom will crisp up nicely as the sauce cooks along with the beef. Before serving, sprinkle the remaining butter and green onions on top.

RECIPE TIPS AND NOTES

• To make this recipe more “sizzling,” a la Pepper Lunch, feel free to use a cast-iron pan.
  (4)To make it easier to slice thinly when cutting your own beef, freeze it for about an hour or until it becomes firm.
• Stir thoroughly before serving, or consume straight from the pan.
• A delicious addition would be a fried egg on top.
• If you don’t like how the black pepper looks speckled, you can replace it with white pepper.
• If you would rather, you can use honey instead of maple syrup. For a spicier beef stir fry, consider adding a small amount of Sriracha to the sauce.

MAKE AHEAD TIPS

Meal prep: Once cooled, store the cooked beef stir fry with rice in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Freezer:allow the beef and rice to cool before transferring them into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer.

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The Sauce

This recipe is pretty easy from start to finish! The only thing to prep is the sauce and it takes five minutes. Here are the ingredients you need:

• low-sodium soy sauce
• oyster sauce
• garlic paste
• brown sugar
• black pepper
• sriracha or chili paste
• cornstarch + water

To a small pan over medium heat, add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, brown sugar, black pepper, and sriracha. Whisk together and cook until bubbling just around the edges.

Then combine cornstarch and water and add it to the sauce. Stir with a rubber spatula until the sauce thickens. Take it off the heat and set aside.

TYPE OF MEAT TO USE

The best type of meat to use is thinly shaved ribeye. You can find this already prepared at most supermarkets – it is commonly used to make Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Feel free to use any type of thinly sliced steak though but the more tender the better. Pepper Lunch cuts used include chuck and short plate.

COOKING THE DISH

Once the sauce is prepared and you have cooked jasmine rice, the rest is pretty simple. Place your skillet on the stove over medium-high heat and wait until it gets very hot. This step is key! Then add butter or oil to the skillet all around. Add jasmine rice to the center and then add the meat around the rice. Drizzle the sauce all over the meat and let it cook for a few minutes.

Take off the heat and add corn, green onions, and black pepper on top. I also like to add a fried egg and a dollop of butter in the middle to enjoy! It’s really good with some spicy mayo too.

LOOKING FOR MORE 30 MINUTE DINNERS? TRY THESE RECIPES OUT!

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PEPPER LUNCH

Pepper Lunch is a very popular Japanese chain restaurant serving a sizzling hot plate filled with rice and steak! It is the easiest 30 minute dinner you can make at home with so much flavor and served hot and fresh on a skillet. Just like they do in the restaurant but at home and even better!

PRINT RECIPEPIN RECIPE

• PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES
• COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES
• TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES
• YIELDS: 2

Ingredients:

For the Steak Marinade:

• 1 pound (450g) thinly sliced beef (sirloin or ribeye)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon sake (optional)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the Vegetables:

• 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the Rice:

• 2 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice

For the Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon sake (optional)

Instructions:

1. Marinate the Beef:

In a bowl, combine all the steak marinade ingredients and mix well.

Add the thinly sliced beef to the marinade, ensuring each slice is well coated. Allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the Vegetables:

Heat vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

Add sliced bell pepper and onion. Season with salt and black pepper.

Sauté until the vegetables are tender yet slightly crisp. Set aside.

3. Cook the Beef:

Heat a skillet or teppan plate over medium-high heat.

Spread the marinated beef slices on the hot plate, allowing them to cook quickly. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.

4. Make the Sauce:

In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake (if using).

Heat over low-medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.

5. Assemble the Pepper Steak Rice Plate:

Place a portion of cooked rice on one side of a plate.

Arrange the cooked beef on one side and the sautéed vegetables on the other side.

Drizzle the sauce generously over the beef and vegetables.

6. Serve:

Serve the Pepper Steak Rice Plate hot, allowing the sizzle to enhance the dining experience.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Feel free to customize the recipe with additional ingredients like mushrooms, garlic, or any other vegetables you like. This recipe provides a similar sizzling and flavorful experience to Pepper Lunch’s signature dishes.

Beef Pepper Rice (Pepper Lunch recipe Inspired)

This Beef Pepper Rice comes together so quickly and easily in a few simple steps! Inspired by the popular sizzling beef pepper rice from Pepper Lunch, this homemade version comes together with only a handful of ingredients.

• 5 from 72 votes
• Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
• Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
• Total Time: 35 minutes mins
• Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked rice, warm
• 4 tbsp maple syrup, or honey
• 4 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp black pepper, or more, to taste
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1-1½ lb shabu shabu beef, or sliced beef
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp butter, divided in half
• ¼ cup sweet corn
• ¼ cup scallions, sliced

Instructions

Cook jasmine rice in your method of choice. I use a rice cooker.

Make the sauce by combining maple syrup, soy sauce, mirin, water, garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder and set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a splash of oil and add the beef to it. Cook until 80-90% browned and drain any excessive liquid in the pan.

Push the beef to the side of the pan, making a large enough space in the middle of the pan for a bowl of rice. Add 1 tbsp butter to the middle of the pan and let it melt for a few seconds.Tightly pack around 3 cups of rice into a bowl and invert it into the middle of the pan, over the butter.

Remove the bowl, drizzle the sauce over the rice and beef, and then top with some corn. Let everything cook together, untouched for 2 to 3 minutes. The bottom of the rice will get nice and crispy while the sauce cooks with the beef.Top off with the rest of the butter and green onions before serving.

Tried this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating.

Nutrition Per Serving

Calories: 648kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109 mg | Sodium: 751mg | Potassium: 652mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 4mg

Author: Carmy, Course: Main Course, Cuisine: Japanese, Nutrition Disclaimer

Feel free to customize this recipe based on your preferences. Add sliced mushrooms, garlic, or other favorite vegetables to elevate the dish further. Enjoy your homemade Pepper Lunch-inspired meal!