Description
Mongolian Beef is a flavorful Chinese-American dish featuring tender flank steak slices marinated and stir-fried to a crisp, then tossed in a rich, sweet-savory brown sugar and soy sauce glaze with aromatic ginger, garlic, scallions, and optional dried chili peppers. Perfectly coated with a thickened sauce, this quick and easy stir-fry is best served hot with steamed rice.
Ingredients
Scale
For marinating the beef:
- 1 pound flank steak, sliced against the grain into 1/4-inch (6mm) thick slices
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (or dry cooking sherry, optional)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
For the sauce:
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup hot water (or hot low sodium chicken or beef stock)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
For coating and searing the beef:
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2/3 cup neutral oil
For the rest of the dish:
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 8 dried red chili peppers (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 scallions, white and green parts separated and cut diagonally into 2-inch (5cm) pieces
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons (30ml) water (slurry)
Instructions
- Marinate the Beef: Combine the sliced flank steak with 2 teaspoons neutral oil, 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (optional), 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Mix well and let marinate for 1 hour. If the beef appears dry after marinating, add 1 tablespoon of water to keep it moist.
- Prepare the Sauce: In a small bowl, dissolve 1/4 cup light brown sugar into 3/4 cup hot water or hot low-sodium chicken or beef stock. Stir in 1/4 cup light soy sauce and 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional) until well combined.
- Coat the Beef: Dredge the marinated beef slices thoroughly in 1/2 cup cornstarch, making sure each piece is well coated for a crispy texture when fried.
- Fry the Beef: Heat 2/3 cup neutral oil in a wok over high heat. Just before it starts to smoke, spread the beef pieces evenly in the wok. Sear them for 1 minute on each side until the coating turns crispy. Turn off the heat and transfer the beef to a plate to drain excess oil.
- Prepare Aromatics and Sauce Base: Drain most of the oil from the wok, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind. Turn heat to medium-high. Add 1 teaspoon minced ginger and 8 dried red chili peppers (optional). For extra heat, break 1 or 2 chilies in half. After 15 seconds, add 3 cloves finely chopped garlic and the white parts of 4 scallions. Stir for another 15 seconds.
- Add and Thicken Sauce: Pour in the prepared sauce mixture into the wok. Let it simmer for approximately 2 minutes. Then slowly stir in the prepared cornstarch slurry (1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water). Continue cooking until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Combine Beef and Scallions: Add the crispy beef along with the green parts of the scallions into the wok. Toss everything together for 30 seconds, allowing the scallions to wilt slightly and the sauce to cling well to the beef. If the sauce is still too liquidy, increase the heat slightly and stir until thickened to desired consistency.
- Serve: Plate the Mongolian Beef hot, ideally accompanied by steamed rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- Flank steak should be sliced against the grain to ensure tender pieces.
- Shaoxing wine can be substituted with dry cooking sherry if unavailable.
- The dried chilies are optional and can be adjusted according to preferred spice levels.
- Make sure the oil is very hot before adding beef to achieve crispiness.
- Saving the oil after frying can be reused for other cooking to reduce waste.
- Serve immediately for best texture; the beef gets soggy if left too long in the sauce.
- To make this dish gluten-free, use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 33g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 75mg
