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Mongolian Beef Recipe (PF Changs Style)

Published Nov 9, 2016 By Julia 106 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.

Note: This is one of my older recipes and is not low carb. Visit my Recipes page for low carb and keto recipes.

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.

Cooking an easy and authentic mongolian beef stir fry in a pan
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.

Close up view of a spicy mongolian beef sauce in a pan similar to pf changs
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.

Mongolian beef similar to pf changs served with white rice in a white bowl
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:

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Cooking an easy and authentic mongolian beef stir fry in a pan
4.84 from 36 votes
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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.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Calories 751 kcal

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

  1. Toss the sliced beef in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons corn starch. Set aside.

  2. Add all sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl, and stir until combined. Set aside.

  3. 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.

  4. Add garlic and sliced beef to the pan, evenly distributing the beef. Cook until the beef browns, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

  5. 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.

  6. Remove the pan from heat and stir in scallions. Serve over cooked white rice.

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Filed Under: Vintage Tagged With: brown sugar, corn starch, flank steak, garlic, ginger, gluten free, rice, scallions, soy sauce

About Julia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a low carb recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth. Her recipes attract over 1 million readers every month and have been featured in The Huffington Post, Parade, Yahoo, NBC Today, Country Living, and Reader's Digest. Learn more.

Previous Post: « German potato salad with bacon
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Reba

Just made. It was a hit we added water chestnuts for some crunch.

Reply
11 days ago
Tom Phillips

I made this tonight and what a great dish! I added some sliced red peppers and it was so good. We had it over fresh jasmine rice.

Thank you!!!

Reply
18 days ago
Nathan Phillips

Made this over the weekend for my wife and 2 boys (6 and 8). We all really enjoyed it! I actually used gluten free rice noodles and GF soy sauce. We had left overs since I had made extra and we thought it tasted even better the second time! Thank you!!

Reply
23 days ago
Heidi

This was very tasty! I added some fresh veggies and served over jasmine rice.

Reply
1 month ago
Anna

My son and I make this a lot once every 2 weeks love it!

Reply
2 months ago
JoMoon21

The tastiest thing I’ve ever cooked!! Amazing !!

Reply
2 months ago
Kas

The family loves this.. isn’t use jalapeños though used a bit of sweet chilli sauce! Turned out great also added broccoli!

Reply
4 months ago
Julia

Subbing a sweet chili sauce sounds delicious! Thanks for the review, Kas.

Reply
4 months ago
Adam

Delicious! This is the best Mongolian Beef recipe out there! I’ve tried several!!

Reply
4 months ago
Jerusalen

Can I substitute the beef for chicken? Would the recipe work? If so Do I still have to use the cornstarch?

Reply
4 months ago
Julia

I haven’t tried chicken with this recipe, so I can’t say how it’ll turn out. If you try it, you should still use the corn starch.

Reply
4 months ago
Jeanne

Just made this and it was delicious……will be making it again for sure

Reply
5 months ago
Julia

Great!! Glad you enjoyed it Jeanne 🙂

Reply
5 months ago
Melissa

This was really good! Our jalapenos were pretty mild (I picked them early), so next time I may add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes to each bowl. We served over a combination of udon noodles and thinly cut zucchini noodles. Delish! I am thinking I am going to make a big batch (just the meat) and then freeze in individual portions for quick meals in the future. Thanks!

Reply
5 months ago
Julia

Yum, that sounds delicious! I love the idea of freezing individual portions.

Reply
5 months ago
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