Our Mongolian Beef recipe has been one of the most popular Woks of Life recipes since we first published it in July 2015, and for good reason!
The Origins of Mongolian Beef
But first. What exactly are the origins of Mongolian Beef? Because it’s definitely not Mongolian…
In fact, in Mongolia, more often than not, meat is simply boiled and dipped in sauces–not exactly a stir-fry. Everything is served with Bai Jiu, a stiff, white lightning liquor made of sorghum (usually 90 proof or higher!) that is very popular in China.
(A friend of mine who visits his Mongolian in-laws almost always ends up drunk and horizontal on the couch after the traditional welcome-home dinner!)
As for the true origins of Mongolian beef, my theory is that someone just forgot to add the orange to a wok full of Orange Beef, and added more sugar instead. Hence, the Mongolian Beef recipe was born. (But, as Judy and the girls would say, that’s just my crazy theory/the ramblings of an old coot!)
Anyway, chalk it up to Chinese-American menu planners and marketers who dubbed the dish “Mongolian Beef.” It’s a close cousin to “Singapore Noodles,” a dish that many actual Singaporeans scratch their heads over––most likely born in the stainless steel kitchen of a Chinese takeout joint!
The Woks of Life Mongolian Beef Recipe
Now that we have that clear, it doesn’t take a genius to know that despite their somewhat misleading names, these Westernized Asian dishes can be GOOD!
P.F. Chang’s version of this dish is probably the most well-known, but, personally, I think their dish is way too sweet, and it’s definitely too sweet for Judy (which is saying something, since she comes from Shanghai, where sweet-savory dishes are often the main event).
In fact, when Judy found out I was going to make a Mongolian beef recipe, the exclamations were strong and immediate: “Too sweet! Too oily! No good! You’re crazy!”
So, I adjusted.
- Cut the sugar–wayyy down.
- Reduce the amount of oil used–wayyy down.
And after the photographs were taken, the Mongolian beef on the plate disappeared before all of our eyes once the rice was served. Amidst the feeding frenzy were these comments, muffled by mouthfuls:
- Sarah: “Holy crap, that’s tasty!”
- Kaitlin: “Daaang, gimme more of that rice!”
- Judy: “WOW. That is SO good!”
- My humble remark: “Ok, you guys were hungry.”
If you would rather have some chicken, then check out our popular Mongolian Chicken recipe!
Mongolian Beef Recipe: Instructions
Combine the sliced beef with 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch and let it sit and marinate for an hour. The beef should still be quite moist after it has marinated. If it looks too dry, add a tablespoon of water to it.
Next, dredge the marinated beef slices in the remaining 1/4 cup of cornstarch until lightly coated. These steps ensure that the Mongolian Beef is tasty and crispy! For more detailed information on the many ways to use cornstarch to get authentic results at home with our recipes, see our post on How to Use Cornstarch in Chinese Cooking.
Heat 1/3 cup oil in the wok over high heat. Just before the oil starts to smoke, spread the flank steak pieces evenly in the wok, and let sear for 1 minute (depending upon the heat of your wok). Fry in smaller batches for best results! Turn over and let the other side sear for another 30 seconds.
Remove to a sheet pan; tilt it slightly to let the oil drain to one side (lean it on a cookbook or cutting board). The beef should be seared with a crusty coating.
Drain the oil from the wok, leaving 1 tablespoon behind, and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the ginger and dried chili peppers, if using.
After about 15 seconds, add the garlic. Stir for another 10 seconds and add the low sodium soy sauce and water (or low sodium chicken stock). Bring the sauce to a simmer, add the brown sugar, and stir until dissolved.
Let the sauce simmer for about 2 minutes and slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry mixture, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add the beef and scallions and toss everything for another 30 seconds.
There should be almost no liquid as the sauce should be clinging to the beef. If you still have sauce, increase the heat slightly and stir until thickened.
Plate and serve with hot steamed rice!
Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 8 ounces flank steak (225g, sliced against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices)
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (plus 1/4 cup, divided)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (for frying the beef)
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger (minced)
- 5 dried red chili peppers (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water (or low sodium chicken stock)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
- 2 scallions (cut into 1-inch long slices on the diagonal)
Instructions
- Combine the sliced beef with 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch and let it sit and marinate for an hour. The beef should still be quite moist after it has marinated. If it looks too dry, add a tablespoon of water to it.Next, dredge the marinated beef slices in the remaining 1/4 cup of cornstarch until lightly coated. These steps ensure that the Mongolian Beef is tasty and crispy!
- Heat 1/3 cup vegetable oil in the wok over high heat. Just before the oil starts to smoke, spread the flank steak pieces evenly in the wok, and let sear for 1 minute (depending upon the heat of your wok). Turn over and let the other side sear for another 30 seconds. Remove to a sheet pan; tilt it slightly to let the oil drain to one side (lean it on a cookbook or cutting board). The beef should be seared with a crusty coating.
- Drain the oil from the wok, leaving 1 tablespoon behind, and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the ginger and dried chili peppers, if using. After about 15 seconds, add the chopped garlic. Stir for another 10 seconds and add the 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce and chicken stock (or water).
- Bring the sauce to a simmer, add the brown sugar, and stir until dissolved.
- Let the sauce simmer for about 2 minutes and slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry mixture--until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Add the beef and scallions and toss everything together for another 30 seconds. There should be almost no liquid, as the sauce should be clinging to the beef. If you still have sauce, increase the heat slightly and stir until thickened.
- Plate and serve with steamed rice!
Nutrition
Jane says
Hi, I’ve cooked this once and it was so good. I’m planning to make a bigger serving- do I scale everything to the same proportion, including oil and the cornstarch mixture at the end?
Bill says
Hi Jane, yes, everything should scale just fine, but I do suggest you cook no more than a double batch at a time, since cooking larger portions can be tricky. Better to cook in separate batches if you can, because scaling up the portion sizes can be tough, especially at home with home appliances/smaller woks. Overloading the wok is one of the most common mistakes for home cooks, sometimes resulting in disappointing results. Happy cooking!
Aliya says
Hello, love this site and the recipes! I am wondering if the beef for Mongolian beef needs to be prepared as is detailed in your separate article on how to prepare beef for stir fries? As in, should it be soaked in water and corn starch, and then drained, and then marinated and so on, or is that not needed? Thanks in advance and sorry for overthinking the recipes–one of my faults, overthinking most things.
Bill says
Hi Aliya, you can use the beef prep steps if you like the beef super-soft, but I don’t think it is needed for this recipe, since the frying of the beef at high temps crisps it up, which is more the texture we’re going for in this dish.
Stefanie says
Hi! Love your recipes! Have you ever tried using xanthum gum or arrow root powder as a replacement for the corn starch? I am a big foodie but also trying to cut carbs. I know….lame. 😆 Just curious….
Bill says
Hi Stefanie, I have not tried either alternative for this dish, but I am fairly sure that arrowroot powder should work. You can also use less cornstarch if you’re on a low carb diet. ;-)
Jerry Gottheil says
Hi, should the dried clili peppers be soaked before using?
Bill says
Hi Jerry, no need to soak the dried chili peppers. Just use as-is in their dried form.
Tiffany Lambert says
Hello everyone,
Can we use corn-flour instead of corn-starch?
There is no corn-starch where I live :( !
Thanks!
Sarah says
Hi Tiffany, I suspect cornflour is the same as cornstarch. What we know as cornstarch in the United States is known as cornflour in the U.K. and other parts of Europe. Is it pure white and powdery? If so, that’s the correct ingredient!
Shelley says
Soooooo perfect! We moved to Maine and there is no good food places especially that serve Mongolian beef so we were very disappointed. We tried this recipe and couldn’t believe how freaking good it was (and we’re both picky when it comes to good Chinese food). Upped the brown sugar for a bit more sweetness. Try with CHICKEN, it came out just as addictive, maybe even better. Also added slivered onions which just made it even better and more to go around! Love love love this!
Bill says
Hi Shelley, excellent to hear that and glad to hear you adjusted the sugar to your own taste. Hopefully you saw our Mongolian chicken recipe also – it’s very close to this Mongolian beef.
Kim Fenske says
I only needed a splash of olive oil to braise my beef rib meat. I used a few short ribs instead of flank beef for tenderness and higher fat composition. The remaining beef fat was enough to complete my cooking. The recipe seems to be not spicy or sweet enough for me. I doubt that the recipe had enough chili pepper or ginger or brown sugar. I added three green onions; baby bok choy; Pablano pepper; mushrooms after preparing the beef with soy sauce coating. The quarter-cup of corn starch was twice as much as necessary. My beef coating seemed to be pasty. The soy sauce flavor was good. I still added extra Terriyaki sauce at the end to cut the starch. Future, I do not know how I can modify this recipe. I guess that I will go hunting for variations.
Bob G. says
You made so many changes that you didn’t actually make their recipe, Kim. Try following the recipe as written before giving it a rating.
Bill says
Hi Kim, I suggest you try our recipe without any modifications and then let us know. It’s better to cook a vegetable side dish ;-)