Mongolian beef is an easy and fast 15-minute stir-fry recipe with tender beef slices and a bold sticky sauce with a hint of spiciness. It’s served with steamed rice or noodles.
Mongolian beef is one of those recipes where the word authentic doesn’t apply, as it did not originate from traditional Mongolian cuisine. Its name derives from “Mongolian barbecue,” which is made-to-order cooking that became popular in Taiwanese restaurants but actually has nothing to do with Mongolian cuisine nor barbecue. Instead, Mongolian beef is a dish that you’ll only really find in Chinese-American restaurants in the United States, like P.F. Chang’s. It’s a very popular dish and it’s easy to see why, with its deliciously strong savory sauce coating the sliced beef and rice. And it’s also really easy to make at home.
Let’s talk about the beef. The beef should be very tender, and here are my best tips for getting your beef to otherworldly tenderness levels:
- Thin cuts: A 1/4 inch thick slice of beef is what I typically use, but if you want more tender beef, you can try slicing even thinner pieces. The thinner the beef, the more tender it will be.
- Slice against the grain: Notice the long muscle fibers across the beef and how they are aligned. I recommend slicing perpendicular to those lines, so that you are cutting through the fibers. This will result in less work for your teeth and it will make the beef feel more tender.
- Premium cuts: I use flank steak for this dish, but if you opt for more premium cuts then you will get beef from more tender parts of the cow.
- Corn starch: Toss the sliced beef with corn starch prior to searing, as it’ll soften and tenderize the beef. This is a common step in many Chinese dishes.
- Quick sear: Don’t overcook the beef slices. Just a quick sear on both sides, about a minute per side, is more than enough. If you overcook the beef, it will get rough and hard.
If you follow these steps, you’ll end up with deliciously tender beef every time.
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak, sliced into 1/4 inch thick strips
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and diced
- 5 scallions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
For the sauce:
Instructions
- Toss the sliced beef in a large bowl with corn starch. Set aside.
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepot and mix well. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low while you work on the next steps, stirring occasionally.
- Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add jalapeño and ginger to the pan. Cook until the ginger starts to brown, a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and sliced beef to the pan, evenly spreading the beef across the pan. Cook until the beef browns, about 1 minute per side, stirring frequently.
- Pour the sauce from the saucepot into the pan with the beef. Mix well so that everything is coated with the sticky sauce. Let simmer for a minute.
- Remove the pan from heat and stir in scallions. Serve over cooked white rice.
http://www.savorytooth.com/best-easiest-mongolian-beef/