Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H. I’m sure you’ve enjoyed it before at your local Chinese restaurant. Mongolian beef is a famous Chinese stir fry that features tender beef stir fried until crispy, then tossed in a sticky sweet brown sauce, served with rice or noodles. The sauce is usually more sweet than spicy, almost always quite sticky, with a thickness that depends on the restaurant. This is an easy Mongolian beef recipe you can make at home that is done in 30 minutes or less. I always prefer homemade because I can control what goes into it. This particular recipe cuts back on the sugary-sweetness of most recipes, and ups the spice factor with a good handful of dried chili peppers that offer up a nice level of zing.
Flank Steak - You can use other cuts of beef, though flank steak is more commonly used. Skirt steak is a good alternative. Marinade - Vegetable oil, soy sauce, cornstarch.
For the sauce:
Soy Sauce Beef Stock - You can use chicken stock or vegetable stock as well. A soy sauce-water combination will work as well. Brown Sugar - For a touch of sweet. Honey is an acceptable substitute.
For the stir fry:
Vegetable Oil - For frying. Use your favorite fry oil. Cornstarch - To coat the marinated strips of beef. This will help make the beef crispy. Dried Chilies - Optional, for a spicy version, which I love. Use dried Chinese chilies if you can obtain them. Chili de arbol peppers are perfect for this recipe. Fresh Ginger Fresh Garlic Cornstarch + Water - A slurry, used to thicken the sauce at the end of the stir fry. Scallions - Thinly slices for cooking and for garnish. For Garnish - Spicy red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, extra sliced scallions.
Marinate the beef. Whisk together the vegetable oil, soy sauce and cornstarch until smooth. Mix the sauce into the beef and marinate for 10 minutes. You can marinate longer if you’d like. Whisk the ingredients. Whisk together the soy sauce, beef stock and brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Heat fry oil. Heat the 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large pan or wok until very hot, but do not boil. Fry the coated beef. Toss the thinly sliced cuts of marinated beef with the 1/2 cup cornstarch to lightly coat. Tap off excess cornstarch and cook the beef in the wok for 1 minute per side, or until the beef is crispy. You may need to do this in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Remove from the oil and set onto a plate. Stir fry the chilies, ginger and garlic. Once all the beef is stir fried, remove the oil but keep about a teaspoon. Heat to medium high heat. Add the dried peppers, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add Mongolian beef sauce. Pour in the reserved Mongolian beef sauce. Swirl together the 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry. Pour it into the sauce and stir about 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens up. Warm the beef and scallions. Stir in the reserved beef and slices scallions. Cook for 30 seconds to warm the beef. Serve. Serve Mongolian beef with steamed rice or noodles and garnish with spicy chili flakes, sesame seeds and fresh chopped green onion.
101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die: Discover a New World of Flavors in Authentic Recipes - by Chef Jet Tila (affiliate link, my friends!) Easy Chinese Cookbook: Restaurant Favorites Make Simple, by Chris Toy (affiliate link, my friends!)
Keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat either in the air fryer or back in the pan over medium-low heat to maintain the crispiness of the beef.
title: “Mongolian Beef Recipe” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-01” author: “Karen Beck”
WATCH: How to make Mongolian Beef
PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE FOR LATER
EASY MONGOLIAN BEEF RECIPE
This Mongolian Beef is better than your favorite restaurant (read the reviews!) and can feed the family at a fraction of the cost. It boasts a secret ingredient sauce and a winning technique for melt-in-your-mouth beef that will have everyone licking their plates and singing your praises. Best of all, this Mongolian Beef recipe is easy to prep ahead, then it’s just a quick stir fry to dinner!
What is Mongolian Beef?
Typical Mongolian beef sauce consists of:
soy sauce brown sugar garlic ginger
With just these ingredients, I think Mongolian Beef can tastes flat and one dimensional. THIS Mongolian Beef recipe, however boasts all of the aforementioned ingredients but gets:
Easy Mongolian Beef Ingredients
This is such an easy Mongolian beef and broccoli stir-fry! Here’s what you’ll need to make the stir-fry and the Mongolian beef sauce:
Flank steak: See my notes below on why I recommend using flank steak. Oil: Either vegetable or peanut oil will work. Broccoli florets: Buy pre-cut florets to save yourself some time. Red bell pepper: I prefer using red bell pepper since it’s sweeter than other kinds. Green onions: Adds a lighter onion flavor and doesn’t overwhelm the dish. Garlic and ginger: If you’re looking to save time and skip some chopping, you can substitute the fresh garlic and ginger with powders. The typical rule of thumb is 3:1, so one part dried to three parts fresh.
Mongolian Sauce Recipe Ingredients
What’s the Best Beef for Mongolian Beef?
I recommend flank steak in Mongolian Beef because although it is an inexpensive cut of beef, it transforms into buttery delicious when marinated and coated in soy sauce and cornstarch. You can use sirloin steak for this Mongolian Beef recipe as well, but I wouldn’t pay the extra $$ for it if you don’t have it on hand already.
How to Make Mongolian Beef
Making the Mongolian Beef Sauce
The trick to making Mongolian Beef crispy
To make Crispy Mongolian Beef you are going to want to add more oil, so you are essentially frying your beef. Make sure you use a high smoking point oil such as vegetable oil.
Prepping this Easy Mongolian Beef in advance
This Mongolian stir-fry has a few steps, but you can prep EVERYTHING ahead of time so all that’s left to do at dinnertime is cook! Here’s how:
Slice Beef: you can do this at any time before marinating or just before marinating then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Marinate Beef: marinate your beef 30 minutes up to 8 hours before cooking. Make Mongolian Sauce: whisk the ingredients together up tot 24 hours in advance and store, covered in the refrigerator. Chop veggies: you can chop your garlic, grate your ginger and slice your green onions and bell peppers 24 hours in advance and store in separate air tight containers in the refrigerator. Cook! Now all that’s left to do is stir-fry and dinner is served in less than 10 minutes!
Mongolian Sauce Recipe tips and tricks
Mongolian Beef Sauce variations
feel free to substitute the broccoli for other veggies customize the heat with additional sriracha or chili sauce you can substitute rice wine with pale dry sherry you can substitute vegetable oil but NOT olive oil for the peanut oil because olive oil has a lower smoking point
Reheating this Mongolian Beef Recipe
For best results, I recommend reheating leftover Mongolian beef and broccoli in a skillet over medium heat. If you microwave the beef, it can become slightly rubbery.
How to freeze this Easy Mongolian Beef
Yes, Mongolian Beef freezes very well, except for the bell peppers. If using bell peppers, you may want to pick them out or they will get mushy. Also, take care not to overcook the beef or it won’t be as tender when reheated. To freeze, let Mongolian Beef cool completely in the refrigerator. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let Mongolian Beef defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
What to serve with this Mongolian Beef Recipe
Mongolian Beef is wonderfully flavorful so it pairs nicely with plain white or brown rice, quinoa and even cauliflower or zucchini rice. It is also good with different Asian Noodles such as rice noodles. If you’re looking for a more elaborate Chinese feast, this Mongolian Beef pairs nicely with with Wontons, Asian Salad, Potstickers, Wonton Soup and Chinese Chicken Egg Rolls.
What Readers are Saying about this recipe
LOOKING FOR MORE CHINESE RECIPES?
Sesame Chicken General Tso’s Chicken Cashew Chicken Sweet and Sour Chicken Kung Pao Shrimp Honey Lemon Chicken Pineapple Ginger Chicken Coconut Cashew Chicken just to name a few!
WANT TO TRY THIS EASY MONGOLIAN BEEF RECIPE?
PIN ITTO YOUR ASIAN, DINNER OR BEEF BOARD TO SAVE FOR LATER!
FIND ME ON PINTEREST FOR MORE GREAT RECIPES! I AM ALWAYS PINNING :)!
©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com This was dinner tonight and we loved it!! – Kathy I made the recipe exactly as instructed, and I purchased all of the recommended ingredients. Out of this world delicious! – Joanna Made this tonight and it is amazing!! 2 thumbs up from everyone! – Jenny Made this tonight and such an incredibly tasteful dish, we all loved it, none of your recipes disappoint! – Stephanie Tag @CarlsbadCravings and Use #CarlsbadCravngs Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!
