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!

This beef stir fry with rice and corn is one of those recipes that come together so quickly, that I love making it on busy weeknights. I love how simple this beef pepper rice recipe is but is packed full of flavour. It’s definitely one of those dishes that I can eat all four servings by myself because I don’t want to share!

Close up of a dome of rice with corn, green onions, and butter on top, surrounded by stir fried beef.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make pepper lunch.

rice — you’ll need cooked, warm rice for this recipe. I usually just use my rice cooker to make jasmine rice as I prep and cook the recipe.
shabu shabu beef — I used beef brisket shabu shabu beef but feel free to use what you like. As it comes pre-sliced super thin, it cuts down on prep time as well as cooking time. It literally takes a few minutes to get all the beef browned. Pepper Lunch uses chuck tender and short plate beef slice if you want to use a different cut.
oil — I add a bit of oil to my skillet to help brown the beef.
sauce — I’m not claiming this sauce to be the same as Pepper Lunch’s. This is my take on it with a few pantry staples that I thought tasted great together! I combine maple syrup (or honey), soy sauce, mirin, water, garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder in a bowl and then drizzle it over the cooked beef and rice. Pepper Lunch uses a Amakuchi Honey Soy Sauce and Karakuchi Garlic Soy Sauce for their beef pepper rice.
butter — you won’t regret adding butter to this. I use unsalted butter.
corn — I used canned sweet corn.
scallions — the more, the better.

How to Make Beef Pepper Rice

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 excess liquid in the pan.

Butter added to the middle of the pan with the beef pushed aside.

A bowl of rice flipped upside down in the pan of beef.

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 half the 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.

A pan of sliced beef with a dome of rice in the middle and corn on top.

A pan of beef and rice topped with corn, green onions, and a slice of 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.

A pan with stir fried sliced beef, rice, and corn.

Recipe Tips and Notes

You are more than welcome to use a cast-iron pan to make this recipe to make this more “sizzling,” like Pepper Lunch.
If you are slicing your own beef, you can freeze it for around an hour or until it’s firm so you can easily slice it thinly.
Mix well before enjoying or eat it straight from the pan!
A fried egg on top makes for a delicious addition.
You can swap black pepper for white pepper if you are not a fan of the speckled look from the black pepper.
Honey can be used in place of maple syrup if you prefer.
Add a bit of sriracha to the sauce for a spicier beef stir fry.

A pan of beef stir fry with rice, like pepper lunch.

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.

Beef Pepper Rice (Pepper Lunch Inspired)

5 from 74 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 35

Servings: 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 the 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

Author: Carmy

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Nutrition Disclaimer

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