This sweet and sticky Mongolian Beef recipe is as good as any restaurant's! Enjoy it at home without the cost of eating out!
I recall, years back, when I first started enjoying Asian food I was happily nomming down on some Mongolian Beef and stopped for a moment to contemplate how the restaurant got that great texture encapsulating each piece of sliced beef. The flavors were intoxicating, the texture was entrancing, and I was perplexed. In the end, I just chalked it up to voodoo and happily went about munching on my meal.
Fast forward a number of years, and I now know a thing or two about cooking, and have decided to tackle this Asian food classic for myself! And oh man am I happy I did! This recipe is every bit as good as anything I've ever ordered in a restaurant, and it is one of those meals that give you an irreplaceable sense of satisfaction after you cook it. Plus, the waiters always look at me funny when I wander into the kitchen looking for seconds.
What is Mongolian Beef
A traditional Mongolian Beef recipe features thinly sliced steak that is browned in a hot skillet and coated with a sweet and sticky brown sugar and soy-based sauce. This is most often served over white rice, though vegetables can be added. Since there is not really any such thing as 'authentic Mongolian Beef', you can customize this recipe with whatever vegetables you prefer to add if you wish to transform it into a Mongolian Beef Stir fry,
What Kind of Steak Do You Use for Mongolian Beef
Thinly sliced flank steak, cut against the grain, is the best steak for Mongolian Beef. This cut is reasonably priced, tender when cut against the grain, and perfect for slicing thin. The wide flat cuts have a lot of surface area to form a great crust while searing.
How to Make Mongolian Beef
Though the most popular and well-known version of this dish can be found on the menu at P.F. Chang’s, you can easily make this in your own kitchen. I promise it will be a crowd-pleaser! It is great to make if you have a wok in your kitchen, however, this is not required. I use a 12" skillet, personally, and I am happy with my results. However, if you cook a lot of Asian style meals, you may want to consider buying a good wok. (affiliate link)
To make Mongolian Beef you prepare your thinly sliced steak by coating it in cornstarch. This adds a wonderful texture to the final dish. The meat is then sauteed in oil to brown. Don't worry if the interior of the meat isn't cooked through when it has sufficiently browned. It will finish cooking with the sauce.
The most important thing to remember about the sauce is it will thicken as it cooks. If it is too thin for your tastes, simply cook it longer. If it is too thick, just add a little moisture back into the pan.
Mongolian Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- Sauce
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
Mongolian Beef
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 pound flank steak
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 4 large green onions sliced into 2" pieces
Serving
- White rice or Noodles for Serving
Instructions
Sauce
- Heat 2 tsp of oil in a saucepan over medium/low heat and add ginger, garlic, and then soy sauce and water. Next add the brown sugar and stir it in till it is fully dissolved and raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce until it thickens then remove the sauce from heat.
Beef
- Slice the steak thinly into 1/4" slices, cutting against the grain. Once steak has been cut toss the pieces in cornstarch to ensure both sides are evenly coated. Let rest for 10 minutes to ensure the cornstarch fully adheres.
- While the steak is resting heat 1 cup of oil in a wok or 12" skillet over medium heat until it is hot. Saute the beef in the oil for 3 minutes or until the beef is starting to brown. Don't worry if the beef is not cooked through yet.
- Using a slotted spoon remove the beef from the skillet and pour oil out. Place the pan back over the heat and add the beef back in and add the sauce as well. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, and then add the green onions. Cook for an additional minute then remove the beef and onions with a large spoon onto a serving place, leaving excess sauce in the pan.
- Serve over rice or noodles.
Notes
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com Nov 11, 2015.
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Lorinda-The Rowdy Baker
What a wonderful, simple recipe. I love the hint of crunchiness around each piece of beef, and am happy to learn the secret! Pinned it for later, but this is one pin I won't forget about!
Fox Valley Foodie
I promise you will love it!
Greg
Outstanding!!!! We added broccoli!
Dana
Yep - I need to make this! And soon. Looks delicious!
Fox Valley Foodie
Agreed! I'm starting the timer!
Jacqui
I made this for dinner and it was great! Really enjoyed how easy it was and the sauce thickened up much better than I expected. However, the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of water but never uses it in the directions, I just threw it in with the soy sauce and it worked out fine but I'm curious about that mysterious ingredient!
Overall great recipe, definitely adding it to my own personal cookbook.
Fox Valley Foodie
Thank you so much for commenting! I left that out just to see if you were paying attention! jk Seriously though, finding incomplete recipes online has always been a pet peeve of mine. You were correct to add the water at the same time as the soy sauce and I have updated the recipe to reflect that!
Bill
I just made a double batch of this for the five of us. Gone! Incredible! This will be a regular here now at our home. We were thinking maybe Christmas dinner. (like Christmas Story)
I grew up in the Fox Valley of Chicago area. Same?
Fox Valley Foodie
Fantastic! I'm glad you like it! I'm just a few hours north - Fox Valley, Wisconsin!
Canmy
Fox Valley Foodie, thank you for your blog post.Really thank you! Awesome.
Sandra
This is fantastic! I was thinking of adding green pepper, but wasn’t sure if I should brown it with the meat?
Otherwise, prepared exactly as you stated.
We retired from Wisconsin to Kentucky. Miss the Friday fish fry’s but not the snow 🙂
Thanks for sharing this great recipe !!!
Chuck Sampson
I made this recipe two days in a row. The first night, it was good, but both my wife and I thought the soy sauce was a bit strong, kind of an after taste. We both needed plenty of white rice to cut through that bit of harshness. The second night, I made with LIGHT soy sauce, and it was perfect. No strong harshness. We loved it! I will continue to prepare this way in the future.
Sharon Harden
ooh I am going to make that this weekend.
Cliff
I had such good luck with your Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, and Dumplings that I'm going to make this tomorrow.
Normally, despite much rinsing there is a slight baking soda taste left over when I cook beef. ( I use about 1 tsp of baking soda to tenderize beef so my youngest can chew it.) But I suspect that even if any is left that this sauce will completely cover it.