Beef pepper steak

In the UK, it usually means a beef steak seasoned or coated with black pepper. It is not necessarily the Chinese-style stir-fry of beef with peppers.

Pat the steak dry and use a lightly oiled, hot pan; if it has a pepper crust, cook over medium-high rather than scorching heat. For a steak about 2 cm thick, allow roughly 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare, then rest it for 5 minutes.

A whole, intact steak can be served pink if the outside is seared. The Food Standards Agency advises cooking burgers and rolled or tenderised beef right through, because bacteria can be inside the meat.

For a classic British-style plate, serve it with chips or mash, mushrooms and peas, with peppercorn sauce if you want more pepper flavour. It also works sliced in a steak sandwich with fried onions.

Yes, especially in a sandwich or quick pan-fried meal. The pepper seasoning will change the flavour, so use less pepper in any sauce or seasoning you add.

Keep it covered on the bottom shelf of the fridge at 5°C or below, and cook it by its use-by date. Keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat food.

Beef frying steak has 27.5 g of protein per 100 g, compared with 20 g in beef pepper steak.