Easy, Inexpensive Recipe: Mongolian Beef

Easy, Inexpensive Recipe: Mongolian Beef for Under $10!

I have thought multiple times about tackling Mongolian beef in my kitchen, but I never, ever thought I'd be able to do it. I finally worked up the confidence as my nearest PF Chang's restaurant is over 30 minutes away and on a weeknight that's just not feasible. And, the menu price… well that's not always in the budget. So I whipped up my own version of this very popular restaurant favorite and let me tell ‘ya. I'm glad I got the guts to do it because this recipe is SO easy. And, for my family of four, the recipe cost me about $10 to make. And a little boost to my ego if I do say so myself. 😉  I think you can do it, too. Items I used for this recipe:

• Sauté pan (You could use a Wok!)
• Utensils
• Cutting Boards

Recipe for Mongolian Beef

Make the sauce first. Pour 2 teaspoons of oil into a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Add minced garlic and ginger stirring with a whisk. Add the soy sauce and water. Dissolve the brown sugar into the liquid and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. The sauce will still be fairly runny when it's done boiling, that's ok. Remove it from the heat.

Slice the flank steak in 1/4 inch slices at a 45 degree angle against the grain into bite size pieces. (I had my butcher do this – easy peasy! My butcher is awesome.)  Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a thin layer of dusting to the steak. Let that sit for about 10 minutes.

As the beef sits, heat one cup of oil in your pan. If you don't have a wok (I don't as you can see from the pictures) use a little more oil. I used about a cup and a half – just enough to almost cover the meat. The beef will begin to brown on the edges. That's good. Stir the meat around a bit and after a couple minutes remove the beef from the oil with a slotted spoon into a bowl lined with paper towels and pour the oil out into a bowl or something that it won't melt.

Put the pan back over medium heat and put meat back in, browning for a minute or so. Add the sauce to this pan and the green onions. Serve over rice. Enjoy. 

What is Mongolian Beef?

Mongolian beef is a dish usually served in Chinese-American restaurants consisting of sliced beef, typically a flank or flat-iron steak, and stir-fried with vegetables (usually green onions) in a savory brown sauce, usually made with soy sauce, and chili peppers.  

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Easy, Inexpensive Recipe: Mongolian Beef

Course Dinner

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4 servings

Author Kate

Ingredients

• Mongolian Beef Ingredients:
• 2 t vegetable oil
• 1/2 t. minced ginger
• 1 T chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 c vegetable oil
• 1 pound flank or flat iron steak
• 1/4 c corn starch
• 2 large green onions

Instructions

1. Pour 2 teaspoons of oil into a medium saucepan over medium/low heat.
2. Add minced garlic and ginger stirring with a whisk.
3. Add the soy sauce and water.
4. Dissolve the brown sugar into the liquid and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes.
5. The sauce will still be fairly runny when it's done boiling, that's ok.
6. Remove it from the heat.
7. Slice the flank steak in 1/4 inch slices at a 45 degree angle against the grain into bite size pieces. (I had my butcher do this - easy peasy! My butcher is awesome.)
8. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a thin layer of dusting to the steak.
9. Let that sit for about 10 minutes.
10. As the beef sits, heat one cup of oil in your pan.
11. If you don't have a wok (I don't as you can see from the pictures) use a little more oil.
12. I used about a cup and a half - just enough to almost cover the meat.
13. The beef will begin to brown on the edges. That's good.
14. Stir the meat around a bit and after a couple minutes remove the beef from the oil with a slotted spoon into a bowl lined with paper towels and pour the oil out into a bowl or something that it won't melt.
15. Put the pan back over med heat and put meat back in, browning for a minute or so.
16. Add the sauce to this pan and the green onions.
17. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

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