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Mongolian Beef Recipe
What is Mongolian Beef?
It is one of the best Chinese recipes ever; it’s also a popular Chinese beef dish at Chinese restaurants or takeouts. The popularity is second to broccoli beef.
Mongolian beef is delicious, with silky and tender beef in a rich and savory Chinese brown sauce.
My Mongolian beef recipe is very close to the taste of PF Chang’s Mongolian beef.
It’s savory, slightly sweet, with melt-in-your-mouth beef.
It’s also healthier, less greasy, with a Mongolian beef sauce that is so yummy with steamed white or brown rice.
Cook’s Tips
To make the best and authentic Mongolian beef, please follow the cooking tips and techniques below:
- Make sure you cut the beef against the grain.
- Marinate the beef with cornstarch to tenderize the meat.
- The step above is called velveting in Chinese food. It makes the beef tender, juicy, moist and silky.
- Stir fry the beef on high heat using a wok (preferred) or skillet.
- The brown sauce shouldn’t be too sticky and gooey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Did Mongolian Beef Originate?
The name of the dish is misleading because it’s not a traditional Mongolian dish from Mongolia.
The dish is named “Mongolian Beef” after the cooking style, rather than its origin.
Mongolian Beef is actually a stir fry dish that originated in Taiwan.
What Is Mongolian Sauce Made Of?
Mongolian sauce is a savory sauce that consists of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and ground white pepper.
The sauce pairs extremely well with the beef and is easy to make!
Can I Make It in an Instant Pot?
Yes, you can make the dish in an Instant Pot. Just use the Saute function to stir fry the beef and ingredients.
Add the Mongolian beef sauce towards the end, thicken it up and it’s ready to serve.
Can I Use Crockpot or Slow Cooker for This Recipe?
For authentic flavors, I don’t recommend crockpot or slow cooker to make this recipe.
This is a Chinese stir fry beef dish. The beef shouldn’t be slow cooked in a slow cooker or crockpot.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 396 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
Serve this dish with fried rice or chow mein. For a healthy Chinese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 12 oz. beef tenderloin, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 inch peeled ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 stalks scallions (cut into 2-inch strips)
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or Shaoxing wine
Mongolian Beef Sauce:
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the beef slices with the Marinade ingredients for 30 minutes. Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the marinated beef until they are half-done. Dish out and set aside.
- Heat up the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the garlic and ginger until aromatic. Add the beef back into the wok and then the sauce.
- Continue to stir fry until the beef slices are almost done, then add the scallions. Do a few quick stirs. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Video
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Good
So tasty! Thank you!
Your Mongolian Beef is super delish.
Love, love this recipe! I made mine by frying the beef first, then side aside in a small dish, then added plain flour, palm sugar, black pepper and soy sauce, in a separate pot, I fried garlic and ginger together with red and green pepper and carrot then added the contents of the dish to the pan, a little water and cooked for 20 mins on slow heat.
Thank you for sharing