Mongolian Beef

Posted byNoriePosted inbeef, RecipeTags:

This is my husband’s favorite Chinese dish so I had to learn to cook it.  It is not at all different from other Chinese dishes except for the Chinese peppers and the absence of vegetables. 

Actually, Mongolian Beef does not have vegetables in it but you can add them if you like.  I added sliced water chestnuts to this just for heck of it. It was a good idea.

 Slice thin strips from about 3/4 lb. to 1 lb of beef thinly across the grain from beef cuts like sirloin or NY strip. Flank steaks are traditionally or commonly used.

Mix in a bowl for the marinade:

  • 2 tsp. water
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. Oyster sauce
  • 1/8 tsp. Chinese white pepper
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. Sesame oil

Or you can use 3 teaspoons regular soy sauce. *See below.

Add the beef to this and coat the meat well.  Let stand and marinate for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

  • 2 clove garlic smashed and minced
  • 2 slices of ginger root julienned thinly (optional)
  • ½ of medium onion (yellow, white or purple) sliced thickly (1/4″ thick) and separated
  • 4 to 5 dried Chinese chili peppers
  • 2 scallions cut about 2″ long (separate the green from the white bottoms

Prepare the sauce in a small bowl:

  • 1 TBSP Oyster Sauce
  • 1 TBSP Light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. Dark soy sauce
  • 1 TBSP Shaoxing wine or Sherry
  • 1 tsp. Aji Mirin or sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Chili sauce

When ready to cook and the beef has absorbed the marinade, add to the beef 1 TBSP cooking oil and mix it it. Then add 1 TBSP cornstarch to the beef and mix it well.

Heat the wok on high heat until very hot just before it smokes then add a little oil and swirl to coat the wok.  Add 2 more TBSP oil and let it heat again. Add the beef and fry for about 15 minutes separating them apart. Take the meat out of the wok onto a sieve to drain the oil. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Drain off the oil from the wok. Turn down the heat. Using the remaining oil in the wok (there will be almost none left), sauté the garlic and ginger root (if using) until garlic is golden brown.  Add the sliced onions, the chilies and the whites of the green onions. Stir fry for a minute or until the yellow onions become translucent.

Add the beef and stir fry for a few seconds or until it heats through. Add the sauce and the green parts of the green onions. Stir fry for a few seconds more.

Drizzle about 1 tsp. Sesame oil and mix. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the top if you like. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot with white rice or fried rice.

You can also serve it over noodles such as linguine.

This serves 2 to 4. 

The Mongolian Beef on the left has both light and dark soy sauces for the marinade from the recipe above. Although the flavor is superb, it is too dark in my opinion.

The Mongolian Beef pictured above did not have dark soy sauce but only light soy sauce.

You may just use regular soy sauce of the total amounts of soy sauces in the recipe instead of the light and dark soy sauces. It is all up to you.

For extra heat, I added and cooked with it some slices of fresh jalapeno peppers.

My husband complimented this dish and said he loved it.