Delicious, sticky Mongolian Beef is made with simple ingredients and tastes amazing! Why go out when you can have it at home? Way better than takeout! A foodie’s palate can identify not four, but five different flavor sensations when sampling a new dish. As you may already know, these consist of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami tastes. Because of the combination of flavors prevalent in Chinese meals, they are known to tick all of these boxes. Umami is also sometimes used as a synonym for delicious and this is an apt description of the Chinese dish known as Mongolian Beef. It consists of thin slices of beef, most often steak cooked in a stir fry style in a rich, spicy brown sauce. It is traditionally served on rice or noodles.
MEAT
I recommend flank steak or skirt steak. Rib eye is, of course, known for its marbled texture and sirloin is known for its tenderness. If you have either of these available, they are excellent choices. When you are slicing the meat, be sure to go against the grain as this keeps the pieces from stretching and becoming too thin.
MARINADE
The marinade for Mongolian Beef usually consists of soy sauce and cornstarch to thicken it. A popular trick for covering all the meat in the sauce is to place everything in a large sealable sandwich bag and shake it with gusto. You can place the whole bag in the refrigerator, and it may actually take up a bit less space than a Tupperware.
WOK OR PAN?
Because you will be cooking a large amount of ingredients all together to create the Mongolian Beef, the best tool to use is a wok.
The mixture of flavors will continue to fill your home with good smells and this is an indication that things are going well. I would encourage you to sample the mixture from time to time during the cooking process too as this is a great way to ascertain which ingredients you need more of. If you prefer to taste medium – rare beef slices in a stir fry, you can remove the seared meat from the pan while you cook the sauce and re-add the meat once the the sauce is ready. Chefs will tell you that well-done or overcooked steak completely ruins its flavor and I think this is true of steak strips in Mongolian Beef too.
As is the case with most stir fries, you can adjust the recipe according to your personal tastes. You can add in chilli powder or thinly sliced chillies, sesame or poppy seeds, carrots, mushrooms, sriracha or chilli sauce and chicken stock at your discretion.
SERVING
When it comes to serving Mongolian Beef, rice is the traditional choice. You can also choose to add pre-cooked noodles to your wok to create a beautifully blended taste. Egg noodles, rice noodles, Udon, Ramen, cellophane noodles or Japanese Soba noodles are all delicious options. Fresh spring onions are sliced and sprinkled on top of the beef bowl. Some people like to add sesame seeds to a Mongolian Beef recipe or to add some on top of the dish once it has been prepared and plated.
PrintMONGOLIAN BEEF
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- FOR MARINADE
- Beef tenderloin ( thinly sliced)- 1 kg / 2 lbs.
- Low sodium soy sauce - 1 ½ tbsp.
- Water- 2 tbsp.
- Oyster sauce-1 tbsp
- Cornstarch -3 tbsp.
- Black pepper - 1 tsp.
- Vegetable oil- ¼ cup
- FOR THE SAUCE
- Low sodium soy sauce- ½ cups
- Water- 1 cup
- Palm sugar- 2 tsp.
- Oyster sauce - 2 tbsp.
- STIR FRY
- Sesame oil- ¼ cup
- Garlic ( finely minced)- 1 tbsp.
- Ginger ( finely minced)-1 tbsp.
- Scallion stems ( thinly sliced)-2 tbsp.,plus extra for serving
- Green chilies ( thinly sliced) - 2
- Cornstarch - 2 tbsp , mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- SERVING
- Scallion stems ( ( thinly sliced)- as needed
- Black sesame seeds- as needed
- Fresh coriander leaves - as needed
Instructions
- Add the marinade ingredients (soy sauce, water , oyster sauce & cornstarch) to the beef slices, mix well until combined and the slices are coated. Allow to marinate for 15- 20 minutes.
- In the meanwhile combine the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl & set aside for a while.
- Heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil in a wok. When oil is hot, stir-fry the marinated beef slices until crisp and browned ( about 5-7 minutes). Season with 1 tbsp of black pepper. Remove the meat & leave the oil in the wok.
- Heat up the sesame oil in the same wok (with any remaining oil), and stir-fry the minced ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add in the scallions and green chilies & fry 30-40 seconds.
- Add the beef back into the wok, pour in the sauce & simmer 6-8 minutes. Stir in the corn starch mixture, cook another 5-7 minute or until the sauce thickens.
- Garnish with scallion slices, sprinkle with black sesame seeds and serve immediately over rice.
Equipment
Notes
EQUIPMENT
A large wok
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Meat/Beef recipes
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: Mongolian beef, stir-fry, beef stir-fry
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MONGOLIAN BEEF RECIPE
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