30-Minute Mongolian Beef

What’s a more patriotic way to celebrate Independence Day than Americanized Chinese food?  This super easy Mongolian beef is one of my new favorites and was what I was craving this year along with my fireworks.

It’s  funny, I looked through all the recent recipes I’ve made but not posted yet, and there’s not a single one I’d classify as American.

Apparently I’ve been on an Asian kick, though. And this one’s a doozy—the most delicious, successful Asian recipe I’ve made since this super easy sesame chicken.

The sauce is obviously the hero of this recipe—you could switch the beef out for chicken and maybe wouldn’t even notice (update:  I did and it’s amazing!). It’s a little sweet and salty and garlicky and super tangy. It’s got bite.

I honestly don’t know that I’d classify it as a traditional Mongolian beef sauce, which I think of as a little more mellow. But no matter what you call it, it’s awesome. And as a bonus, this recipe creates a lot of sauce to soak into the rice, which is one of my non-negotiables where Chinese food is concerned.

“Mom. Hey Mom! You bought that for me, right? That’s what you promised?”

“No, really. That’s clearly for me. You can just drop it on the floor, I don’t mind.”

Go ahead and get the rice cooking, this won’t take long…

First we’ll do a shorter version of velveting the meat. Slice the flank steak against the grain, into 1/4-inch pieces.

I bought mine already sliced and just cut it into smaller pieces, but a little thicker than this would actually be better to keep the meat tender (mine was a little chewy).  If you have a little longer to velvet the meat, it will be good too.

Then toss it with the cornstarch, making sure all the pieces get covered. Allow the steak to sit for 10 minutes (more’s okay) until you’re ready to cook it.

This step is important, so don’t cut corners here—the cornstarch is what will ultimately thicken the sauce as well, so we get a two-fer.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Sauté the minced ginger and garlic until golden, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it gets gross.

Stir in the soy sauce and water, then stir in the brown sugar until fully dissolved.

Increase the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside for now.

Cut the greens into 1-inch pieces, then slice the white and pale green parts into slivers or long chunks. The original recipe didn’t include the white parts, but all the restaurant Mongolian beef I love includes these.

Don’t use the middle parts—where the green prongs out and down for a few inches. Basically use the tops and bottoms.

Place a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/3 cup of oil (less would be okay as well).

Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the beef to the pan and sauté until it’s seared on all sides but barely cooked in the center—for me that was probably 5-8 minutes.

Remove the steak from the pan with a slotted spoon (so you don’t keep all the oil) and transfer it onto a paper towel-lined plate. Pour any excess oil out of the pan.

Place the pan back over medium heat. Add the prepared sauce to the hot pan (it should come to a boil almost immediately).

Stir in a few tablespoons of cornstarch to start the thickening process. Add the sliced scallions, stirring to combine.

Add the reserved steak immediately and cook at a boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. The sauce will thicken up nicely.

Serve with rice.  Jasmine is really lovely, the flavors together are awesome. But for health reasons brown would work as well.

This super easy Mongolian beef needs to become a staple on your dinner table ASAP!

Other Asian-inspired dishes you’ll love:

• Easy Sesame Chicken
• Comforting Thai Khao Soi with Chicken
• 30-Minute Mongolian Chicken
• Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
• Chicken Massaman Curry

Easy Mongolian Beef

Serves 2, can easily be doubled to serve 4

• Vegetable oil (I used coconut instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon of minced fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (1 large clove, or 2 small ones)
• 1/2 cup of low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2/3 cup of dark brown sugar
• 1 pound of flank steak
• 1/4 cup of cornstarch or maybe a little more
• 5 scallions or green onions (green parts sliced into 1-inch pieces, white & pale green cut into halves or slivers)
• Jasmine rice (or whatever you like) for serving

Go ahead and get the rice started, this won’t take long…

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4-inch pieces (a little thicker than mine would probably be best to keep them tender), then toss it with the cornstarch. Allow the steak to sit for 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to cook it. This step is important, so don’t cut corners here—the cornstarch is what will ultimately thicken the sauce.

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the minced ginger and garlic, and sauté until golden (about 2 minutes). Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the soy sauce and water, then stir in the brown sugar until fully dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside for now.

Place a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/3 cup of oil. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the beef to the pan and sauté until it’s seared on all sides but barely cooked in the center—for me that was probably 5-8 minutes. Remove the steak from the pan with a slotted spoon (so you don’t keep all the oil) and transfer it onto a paper towel-lined plate. Pour any excess oil out of the pan.

Place the pan back over medium heat. Add the prepared sauce to the hot pan (it should come to a boil almost immediately), stir in a few tablespoons of cornstarch, then add the reserved steak and cook at a boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. The sauce should thicken during this time. Add the sliced scallions, stirring to combine.

Serve on top of rice. Keeps in the fridge for several days.

Original recipe here

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