Mongolian Beef

5 from 18 votes

This Mongolian Beef is a classic Chinese take out dish that is made of tender beef, aromatics, chilis, and scallions in a sweet and savory sauce. It's so much better than takeout when made at home!

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Ingredients

1 lb flank steak cut into 1/4" strips
2 tbsp neutral oil I used avocado oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp white pepper

Sauce

1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch

Vegetables & Aromatics

6 green onions cut into 2" pieces
5-7 dried red chilis japones or chile de arbol work well; remove seeds to reduce spice level
1 tbsp ginger minced
3 cloves garlic minminced

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Slice your steak into 1/4" strips and marinate with light soy sauce, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, baking soda, neutral oil, and corn starch for 15 minutes.
Prepare your green onions, garlic, ginger and chilis (deseed the chilis for less heat); set aside.
Combine light soy sauce, brown sugar, and warm chicken stock mix; mix until sugar is dissolved.
Heat 4 tbsp of neutral oil in a wok over high heat. Shallow fry the beef for 3-4 minutes at 350F, working in batches if necessary so the oil does not drop below 300F. Fry until golden brown and crisp. Remove and set aside.
Remove leftover oil until about 2 tbsp of neutral oil remains. Over medium high heat, fry your garlic and ginger for 15-30 seconds then add the dried red chilis. Stir fry for another 15-30 seconds until the chilis are slightly toasted and oils have extracted.
Add your premixed sauce and stir to combine until the sauce has thickened. Add back your beef and scallions, stir for another 1-2 minutes to coat evenly, and enjoy!

Notes

Slice Beef Against the Grain - Follow the lines (which is the muscle fibers) in the raw beef and cut against them. Slicing beef against the grain is an easy way to get tender meat - cutting the fibers of the muscle means they won't get tough when cooked.

Adjust the Spice to your Preference - The dried red chilis are not super spicy; however, if you want to reduce the heat, you can either use less chilis or remove the seeds from inside. For Mongolian Beef, I used 7 dried red chilis and the finished dish was a 6 out of 10 for spice; adjust accordingly based on your own spice tolerance.

Success is in the Prep! - Mongolian Beef is one of those dishes that comes together FAST once you start cooking. For this reason, it's crucial that you prepare your ingredients (beef and aromatics cut and portioned, sauce mixed, etc) BEFORE you begin cooking. I like to have all of my ingredients in individual bowls, near my cook station so I can easily grab when needed.

Cooking With a Wok - If it is your first time cooking with a wok, make sure to read my "How To Season a Wok" post. There is a video included that shows exactly how to season your brand new wok and how to maintain it so it lasts for years. If you cannot or do not want to use a wok, you can use a large pan, cast iron, or even a dutch oven.

Storage and Reheating - You can store Mongolian Beef in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I like reheat it in the air fryer in order to crisp up the beef. When reheating the beef in the air fryer, the sauce with further caramelize and infuse into the crispy batter! Air fry at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or until warmed through and crispy. Alternatively, reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. I don't recommend reheating Mongolian Beef (or any fried food) in the microwave unless you don't care about the texture and just want to heat it back up as quickly as possible.

Nutrition