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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.
Cooking 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.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
eccellente ho messo anche un po’ di peperoncino
ciao Asia
I’m gonna try this for sure. Thanks for your recipe.
Well …we tried 2 other Mongolian beef recipes ….and although I liked the crispy quality of the beef of one recipe …the flavors were destroyed by toooo much sugar and honey.
Bee …we tried your recipe again (we saved it with a high rating) …and, it’s by far still the best! The whole family was going for seconds …and …I missed out on getting a second portion (darn it!) You have an excellent balance of sugar and sesame oil (and other ingredients) in this recipe.
Bee ,,,you have the best collection of Asian/Malaysian recipes on the internet. I highly recommend your recipes overall!
Thanks for sharing!
BobB (aka Roberto)
Hi Bob, thanks yes, all my recipes are very easy and delicious. Please try more! https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Hi there
Thank you for sharing the recipe. It looks so yummylicious! ?
The recipe include the use of wine. May I know what can I use as a substitute (non alcohol) to the wine?
Hope to hear from you. Thanks.
Skip.
I love your recipes. Asian food is among my favorites. The nearest Asian market is 1 hour away from me, so when I go there I would like to buy all that I need. Do you have a list of staples that I should have on hand for my Asian c recipes? That way I could stock up on what I need.
Thank you, stay well,
Eva
A beautiful balance of flavours and super quick and easy.
Thank you x
Hi Tiare, thanks for trying my Mongolian beef. All my recipes are quick, easy and flavorful. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Can I use London broil instead beef tenderloin?
Thank you for all the tips & love all the recipes. I will certainly be cooking and try all of them.
Awesome Jovy.
We love your recipes and they are easy to make. Thanks for taking the time to create dinners with a special touch and amazing outcome for everyone.
Thanks Carla, I appreciate your support. :)
i looked at this recipe and your onion scallion beef recipe side by side and they are exactly the same except for onions. is there no difference in these two dishes?
The taste is different. Onion adds sweetness to the dish.
I’m trying your recipie tonight for Mongolian beef in your words you say to marinade beef in corn starch and soy but recipie marinade says rice wine water and corn starch?