Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe
Mongolian beef is best when made at home!
This recipe has the right amount of spice, flavor, with just a hint of sweetness. The wonderful spices come together to make this delicious dish top-tier. If you want a nice quality restaurant style meal that doesn’t break the bank, then you will absolutely love this Mongolian beef recipe.
Fresh garlic, ginger, scallions, and a few other ingredients make this dish top notch. Plus, It’s One of the most popular takeout dishes to make at home! This is one of my favorite meals to pair with some steamed rice and a side of egg rolls or steamed dumplings. Feel free to throw in a side of steamed veggies as well. This recipe is authentic and bursting with exquisite taste. If you love Chinese food and a simple stir fry, this recipe is the perfect match.
My Mongolian beef has a heap amount of flavor, and the beef is so tender. It has the perfect balance of sweet & savory; plus, the dried chili peppers give it a nice touch. It’s not spicy but the red chili peppers give it the right amount of heat. This dish is budget friendly, and you can be versatile with the recipe. Feel free to make any adjustments as needed. You can serve this Mongolian beef dish over rice or noodles. If you want to cut back on the carbs, you can use lettuce wraps. This recipe is super quick and easy to make.
Now when it comes to making Mongolian beef, it’s usually cooked with using flank steak. A cheaper alternative would be sirloin, but by all means pick a beef cut that’s appropriate for your budget. When it comes to preparing the beef, you can place it in the freezer 20 minutes before slicing. Cut the beef across the grain & cut into thin slices. If you want the beef to be a little crispier or have a little crunch, just lightly toss the beef in cornstarch before frying. It’s good to use a neutral oil, especially if you want to cook over high heat. Some neutral oil types are vegetable, canola, avocado. I cooked my beef over medium high heat and used olive oil but use what works for you.
Don’t skip out on the steak marinade- it helps to make the steak nice and tender. It’s completely optional to marinate the steak for 45 minutes. If you’re short on time, feel free to let the beef marinate for 10 minutes at least. When it comes to the dried red chili peppers, it’s completely optional. A alternative would be to add a pinch of red crushed pepper. Before serving, make sure you remove the red chili peppers- you don’t want an overly spicy Mongolian beef. Letting the red chili pepper’s simmer in the sauce until it thickens- gives the dish the right amount of heat without it being spicy.
I like to use fresh ingredients for this dish especially when it comes to the garlic & ginger. I love garlic! So, feel free to add as little or as much. The fresh ingredients really help bring out the flavors in this dish.
This Mongolian beef recipe is so good and delicious, make sure you cook enough to have leftovers.
It’s so yummy and you can make a nice quality restaurant style meal at home that everyone will love. It won’t break the bank, but you’ll have a super tasty and fulfilling meal at home. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
The Best Mongolian Beef Recipe
Ingredients
Steak Marinade:
- 1 Ib Flank Steak Substitute: Sirloin
- 2 tsp Shaoxing Wine Substitute: Sherry Wine
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp Cornstarch
Mongolian Beef Sauce:
- 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 3/4 Cup Warm/Hot Water
- 1 tsp Mirin
Additional Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp Oil
- 1 White or Red Onion Sliced
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger Minced
- 4 to 6 Dried Red Chilis
- 4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic Minced
- 4 to 6 Scallions sliced & cut on diagonal
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch Slurry ***Mix 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsps of water
Instructions
- Prep the veggies beforehand and set aside. Mince the ginger and garlic, plus slice up a few scallions and onion.
- Prep the steak beforehand: Cut across the grain into 1/4″ inch slices or strips. (Tip- For easier cutting, place the beef in the freezer for about 20 minutes before slicing.)
- In a medium bowl combine the steak slices and marinade ingredients until the steak is well coated with the ingredients. Marinate for at least 20 to 45 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, make the Mongolian beef sauce. Combine the brown sugar, water, & mirin stir until everything is well mixed.
- Next, after the steak has marinated - you can lightly dredge it with cornstarch.
- On medium-high Heat add some oil to a wok or skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the steak in batches and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the beef has browned. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Drain any excess oil & leave enough oil to sauté the veggies.
- Add the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, scallions, and dried red chilis. Sauté for a few seconds or until the garlic is fragrant. (Tip: Try not to burn the garlic)
- Next, add the Mongolian sauce and the beef strips back to the skillet.
- Let the sauce come to a simmer & add the cornstarch slurry. (The cornstarch slurry will help the sauce thicken up)
- Allow the sauce to cook until it reduces & thicken up.
- Note: I like to leave a little bit of the thickened sauce/liquid to pour over my steamed rice that I serve with the Mongolian beef. But you can continue to cook the beef until most of the sauce is gone or there’s no liquid. It’s personal preference.
- Once the sauce has thickened up and reduced to your liking, do a taste test. Make any adjustments if needed.
- In the last few seconds of cooking, add fresh sliced onion and scallions. The scallions will begin to wilt, toss everything together.
- ***If you have too much sauce left, just increase the heat until the sauce is thickened to your liking or until there’s no more sauce.
- Serve over rice & enjoy!
