Easy, Inexpensive Recipe: Mongolian Beef for Under $10!
I have thought multiple times about tackling Mongolian beef in my kitchen, but I never, ever thought I’d be able to do it. I finally worked up the confidence as my nearest PF Chang’s restaurant is over 30 minutes away and on a weeknight that’s just not feasible. And, the menu price… well that’s not always in the budget. So I whipped up my own version of this very popular restaurant favorite and let me tell ‘ya. I’m glad I got the guts to do it because this recipe is SO easy. And, for my family of four, the recipe cost me about $10 to make. And a little boost to my ego if I do say so myself. 😉 I think you can do it, too. Items I used for this recipe:
Recipe for Mongolian Beef
Make the sauce first. Pour 2 teaspoons of oil into a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Add minced garlic and ginger stirring with a whisk. Add the soy sauce and water. Dissolve the brown sugar into the liquid and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. The sauce will still be fairly runny when it’s done boiling, that’s ok. Remove it from the heat.
Slice the flank steak in 1/4 inch slices at a 45 degree angle against the grain into bite size pieces. (I had my butcher do this – easy peasy! My butcher is awesome.) Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a thin layer of dusting to the steak. Let that sit for about 10 minutes.
As the beef sits, heat one cup of oil in your pan. If you don’t have a wok (I don’t as you can see from the pictures) use a little more oil. I used about a cup and a half – just enough to almost cover the meat. The beef will begin to brown on the edges. That’s good. Stir the meat around a bit and after a couple minutes remove the beef from the oil with a slotted spoon into a bowl lined with paper towels and pour the oil out into a bowl or something that it won’t melt.
Put the pan back over medium heat and put meat back in, browning for a minute or so. Add the sauce to this pan and the green onions. Serve over rice.Enjoy.
What is Mongolian Beef?
Mongolian beef is a dish usually served in Chinese-American restaurants consisting of sliced beef, typically a flank or flat-iron steak, and stir-fried with vegetables (usually green onions) in a savory brown sauce, usually made with soy sauce, and chili peppers.
Easy, Inexpensive Recipe: Mongolian Beef
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 servings
Author Kate
Ingredients
- Mongolian Beef Ingredients:
- 2tvegetable oil
- 1/2t.minced ginger
- 1Tchopped garlic
- 1/2cuplow sodium soy sauce
- 1/2cupwater
- 3/4cupdark brown sugar
- 1cvegetable oil
- 1poundflankor flat iron steak
- 1/4ccorn starch
- 2large green onions
Instructions
Pour 2 teaspoons of oil into a medium saucepan over medium/low heat.
Add minced garlic and ginger stirring with a whisk.
Add the soy sauce and water.
Dissolve the brown sugar into the liquid and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes.
The sauce will still be fairly runny when it's done boiling, that's ok.
Remove it from the heat.
Slice the flank steak in 1/4 inch slices at a 45 degree angle against the grain into bite size pieces. (I had my butcher do this - easy peasy! My butcher is awesome.)
Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a thin layer of dusting to the steak.
Let that sit for about 10 minutes.
As the beef sits, heat one cup of oil in your pan.
If you don't have a wok (I don't as you can see from the pictures) use a little more oil.
I used about a cup and a half - just enough to almost cover the meat.
The beef will begin to brown on the edges. That's good.
Stir the meat around a bit and after a couple minutes remove the beef from the oil with a slotted spoon into a bowl lined with paper towels and pour the oil out into a bowl or something that it won't melt.
Put the pan back over med heat and put meat back in, browning for a minute or so.
Add the sauce to this pan and the green onions.
Serve over rice. Enjoy!
Studies have shown that if you like this Mongolian Beef recipe you’ll probably really love these ones, too. Click on the image to be taken directly to any of these posts.
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FAQs
Whisk the Mongolian Beef Sauce ingredients together consisting of soy sauce, water, brown sugar, Asian sweet chili sauce, rice wine, hoisin, pepper, sriracha and cornstarch. Stir Fry Beef. Heat 1-2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil a large skillet over high heat until very hot and sizzling.
Does Mongolian beef contain oyster sauce? ›
Our recipe for Mongolian beef sauce includes oyster sauce, soy sauce, tamari soy sauce (as a replacement for dark soy sauce), chili sauce, sugar, and cooking wine. Check the ingredient list to see precise amounts. Don't forget that you can scale the recipe up and down!
Why is Mongolian beef so tender? ›
Coating beef in cornstarch is important because it helps to tenderize the beef. It also helps to thicken the sauce, allowing it to fully coat the beef. Flank steak (sliced against the grain) is most commonly used to make Mongolian beef, although any quick cooking beef works great.
How to velvet beef for Mongolian beef? ›
Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes.
What is the secret ingredient in stir fry beef? ›
Velvet the beef: The velveting technique involves tenderizing, marinating, and a quick searing of the meat. To tenderize: Sprinkle with baking soda (the secret Chinese meat tenderizer). To marinate (a quick marinade): Add basic beef marinade and mix to coat evenly. Let marinate for 15 minutes or up to overnight.
What is a substitute for ginger in Mongolian beef? ›
Allspice, Cinnamon or Nutmeg
This is an ideal switch for recipes that call for ground ginger, but it can help if you're all out of fresh ginger too. Allspice is a popular dry spice replacement, thanks to its mildly sweet-and-spicy flavor.
Is there another name for Mongolian beef? ›
Stir-Fried Spicy Beef (Previously: Mongolian Beef)
Sliced beef marinated in soy and then stir-fried with peppers and onions.
What is the difference between Mongolian beef and Chinese beef? ›
Szechuan Beef is known for its use of Szechuan peppercorns, chili peppers, and often a spicy sauce made with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Mongolian Beef, on the other hand, features ingredients such as soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, and sometimes oyster sauce for a sweet and savory flavor.
What is inside hoisin sauce? ›
Hoisin is made with sugar, water, soybeans, salt, sweet potato, sesame seeds, cornstarch, garlic, wheat flour, chili pepper and spices.
What is the secret ingredient to tenderize meat? ›
Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.
The best side dishes to serve with Mongolian beef are broccoli and cauliflower, steamed vegetables, chow mein, brown rice and vegetables, quinoa, cilantro lime rice, lentil salad, macaroni salad, stuffed peppers, rosemary bread, French bread pizza, Thai cucumber salad, pickled jalapenos, garlic noodles and green salad, ...
Do you use cornstarch or baking soda for velveting beef? ›
While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. You may also include two to three tablespoons of water. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing. Additional seasonings are optional and vary from recipe to recipe.
Do you rinse beef after velveting? ›
The longer it sits, the more tender it will be. However, if you velvet for longer than an hour, the meat will become too soft—more akin to goo than a tender cut of protein. Rinse well before cooking: After velveting the meat, you have the option to rinse off the baking soda or slurry to prevent clumps in your stir-fry.
What to soak beef in to make it tender? ›
Simply soak your beef cuts in these natural tenderisers before cooking, and we guarantee the beef will be fall-apart tender!
- 1) Tea. Tea contains tannins, which are a natural tenderiser. ...
- 2) Coffee. ...
- 3) Cola. ...
- 4) Pineapple, pawpaw, figs, kiwis. ...
- 5) Ginger. ...
- 6) Baking Soda. ...
- 7) Vinegar. ...
- 8) Beer or wine.
Directions. Whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Toss beef with marinade; cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight.
What is Mongolian beef from a Chinese restaurant? ›
Mongolian beef is a dish from Taiwan consisting of sliced beef, typically flank steak, usually made with onions. The beef is commonly paired with scallions or mixed vegetables and is often not spicy. The dish is often served over steamed rice, or in the US, over crispy fried cellophane noodles.
What is Mongolian BBQ sauce made of? ›
In a large saucepan, combine 1/2 cup tamari, sugar, vinegar, oil, sake and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil. Add ketchup, coriander, ground ginger and chili. Simmer for 10 minutes.
What is Mongolian Chicken sauce made of? ›
Make the Mongolian Chicken sauce by combining chicken stock, light soy sauce, brown sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch. I always like to premix my sauce to have it ready to go during the fast cooking process.
