Mongolian beef is a fast and easy 15-minute stir-fry recipe with tender beef slices and a bold sticky sauce with a hint of spiciness. It can be served with steamed rice or noodles. Watch a step-by-step recipe video below.
Mongolian beef is one of those recipes where the word authentic doesn’t apply, as it didn’t originate from traditional Mongolian cuisine. Its name derives from “Mongolian barbecue,” which is made-to-order cooking that became popular in Taiwanese restaurants but actually has nothing to do with Mongolian cuisine or barbecue.
Instead, Mongolian beef is a dish that you’ll only really find in Chinese-American restaurants in the United States, like P.F. Chang’s. It’s a very popular dish and it’s easy to see why, with its deliciously strong savory sauce coating the sliced beef and rice. It’s also really easy and fast to make at home.
Let’s talk about the beef. It should be very tender, and here’s a summary of my best tips for getting your beef to otherworldly tenderness:
- Thin cuts: A 1/4 inch thick slice of beef is what I typically use, but if you want more tender beef, you can try slicing even thinner pieces. The thinner the beef, the more tender it will be.
- Slice against the grain: Notice the long muscle fibers across the beef and how they are aligned. I recommend slicing perpendicular to those lines, so that you are cutting through the fibers. This will result in less work for your teeth and it will make the beef feel more tender.
- Premium cuts: I use flank steak for this dish, but if you opt for more premium cuts then you will get beef from more tender parts of the cow.
- Corn starch: Toss the sliced beef with corn starch prior to searing, as it’ll soften and tenderize the beef. This is a common step in many Chinese dishes. Corn starch also helps the beef retain its liquids so that it doesn’t exude juices when it’s cooked.
- Quick sear: Don’t overcook the beef slices — just a quick sear until they’re browned. If you overcook the beef, it will get rough and hard.
If you follow these steps, you’ll end up with deliciously tender beef every time. You can also apply these tips to my other sliced beef dishes, such as my garlic herb steak and potatoes, crazy good beef and broccoli, and low carb beef and broccoli.
The dish is only mildly spicy; to make it hotter, include the seeds and membranes of the jalapeño when you add it to the pan. Or you can substitute it with a serrano pepper, which has nearly double the Scoville heat units of a jalapeño.
Step-by-step recipe video on how to make mongolian beef:
Mongolian Beef Recipe (PF Changs Style)
Mongolian beef is a fast and easy 15-minute stir-fry with tender beef slices and a bold sticky sauce with a hint of spiciness.
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak sliced into 1/4 inch thick strips
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeño seeded and diced
- 1 inch ginger peeled and diced
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
Instructions
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Toss the sliced beef in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons corn starch. Set aside.
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Add all sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl, and stir until combined. Set aside.
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Heat a pan over medium heat for a few minutes until hot. Add canola oil to coat the bottom. Add jalapeño and ginger. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Add garlic and sliced beef to the pan, evenly distributing the beef. Cook until the beef browns, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Stir the sauce and pour it into the pan with the beef. Mix well until everything is coated with the sticky sauce. Let simmer for a minute until thickened.
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Remove the pan from heat and stir in scallions. Serve over cooked white rice.
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This post was originally published on November 9, 2016.
I made this for dinner tonite we used soba noodles instead of rice and mixed it right into the pan. It was so good. Next time I will add a little chili paste as we like more heat. Thank you for the recipe
Oh my goodness…this was absolutely amazing. I had to substitute skirt steak for flank because they didn’t have it, but still fantastic. Many thanks for this recipe; I will never order this out again because nothing compares.
If I double the meet would I double the sauce? That just seems like a lot of soy sauce.
Yes. You can use less soy sauce if you prefer.
Can I use flour as a substitute for cornstarch?
No, you’ll need corn starch to get that extra tender beef.
Excellent will definitely make it again. I used leftover London broil.
Excellent…will definitely make again.
I use sesame oil instead of canola and didn’t empty out the jalapeño. Awsome!!!
I made this. It was easy and really good. I added some Siracha to the sauce
i used ginger powder because thats all i had, it was amazing but i just gessed the amount, can you tell me more less how much of the powder to use, and thank you so much for sharing its brought passion back into my cooking
I’ve always used fresh ginger for this recipe, but I would probably guess 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon dried ginger powder would be a good amount for substituting.
Glad you liked the dish, Rosie!
I like this a different way. I fry the meat separate from the other ingredients. Coat with cornstarch, and fry on high heat until very brown. I fry the ginger and garlic in a separate saucepan. then add the soy sauce, let it almost boil…then add the brown sugar. This makes it thick. Your recipe looks very mushy and not cooked well. Sorry.
I’ve done it both ways, cooking the sauce separately vs together. I found that it doesn’t make much of a difference in the dish’s final texture and taste.
Can u use minced ginger?
Yes, that would work great!
This was very good!!! I may want to make this again, what can I use instead of brown sugar to make this healthier?
You can use the same amount of a sugar free sweetener such as erythritol or its brand name Swerve.
I also have a similar recipe for beef and broccoli that’s low carb and sugar free: https://www.savorytooth.com/low-carb-beef-broccoli/
I made this tonight it is very good, I didn’t have any jalapenos so I used crushed red pepper flakes I love jalapenos so I can’t wait to remake this using them
I don’t have fresh Jalapena peppers or ginger on hand. Need suggestions for substitutes. Thanks
I would add cayenne and ginger powder to taste.