Mongolian Beef Recipe

An overhead view of Mongolian beef over rice topped with green onions and sesame seeds. A fork and napkin on the side.

Quick and savory Mongolian Beef is a restaurant favorite you can make at home in less 20 minutes! Tender and juicy flank steak is the perfect cut of meat to sear before being coated in a homemade sauce. Serve this family-friendly dish with rice and your favorite vegetable.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 385kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Mixing Bowls
Large skillet or wok

Ingredients

For the Sauce

⅓ cup soy sauce (80ml)
⅓ cup water (80ml)
⅓ cup light brown sugar (73g)
1 ½ tablespoons minced ginger
6 garlic cloves minced

For the Beef

1 pound flank steak thinly sliced against the grain (450g)
⅓ cup cornstarch (37g)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 dried red chilies (or ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes), optional
5 green onions sliced into 1-inch pieces (2¾oucnes/80g)

Instructions

For the Sauce:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic. Set aside.

For the Beef:

In a large bowl, toss the steak with the cornstarch until well coated.
In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Shake the beef strips to remove excess cornstarch, and then add the beef to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned and mostly cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the beef to a large bowl.
With the skillet still over medium-high heat, add the sauce to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a spoon, until the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beef, red chilies (if using), and green onions.
Cook, stirring often, until the beef is well coated and the green onions are softened, about 1 minute. Serve immediately over rice.

Notes

Sear the meat before stirring. Add the meat to the skillet with the hot oil in a single layer. Allow it to cook until it is deeply browned and seared on the first side before stirring it. You will know the meat is properly seared when it easily releases from the pan when stirred. If you try to stir the meat too soon, it will stick.
Cook in batches, if needed. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan when searing the beef; otherwise, it will steam and not brown. If you can’t fit all of the sliced beef in the skillet at first without them overlapping, cook them in batches, adding extra oil as needed.
Mix in or serve with additional vegetables. To add in vegetables, serve this dish with or mix in steamed broccoli, snow peas, sliced bell pepper, or carrots.

Nutrition