Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe

This delicious easy to make Mongolian beef recipe comes together in just over 30 minutes and is served up over a bed of rice. The flavors in this dish are incredible and will go into your regular cooking rotation.

We eat Chinese food regularly in our home but once you learn the techniques to make it, it’s incredibly easy to make at home and the taste is incomparable. If you want to try out some tasty Authentic Chinese recipe then make my Beef Stir-Fry or General Tso’s Chicken.

Regardless of its name, Mongolian beef is in an American Chinese dish. You will commonly see it across popular Chinese restaurants across America, but most likely will not find it on a menu in China.

This tasty zesty dish can be as spicy as you want to make it but can feature both dried chiles and fresh spicy peppers. The sauce consists of a simple oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine giving it sweet umami flavors. Mongolian beef is most commonly served up with steamed Jasmine rice but can be served alongside rice or chow mein noodles.

Mongolian Beef Ingredients

• Beef – I prefer to use thinly sliced flank steak, but you can substitute with skirt, sirloin, filet mignon or ribeye.
• Soy Sauce – Use a good shoyu or tamari.
• Eggs – 2 large eggs will work for this recipe.
• Rice Wine – You can use Shaoxing, mirin, or rice wine.
• Corn Starch – This will help thicken up the sauce and provide a gently coating on the beef for stir-frying.
• Onions – Yellow onions work well but you can use red, sweet, or white onions as well.
• Garlic – Either finely mince or very thinly slice.
• Green Onions – I like to cut these on a bias, but you can slice these in to 1”-2” inch pieces.
• Dried Chiles – Any dried chile will work for this. For a recommendation use Szechuan or Arbol.
• Sugar – I think brown sugar is best for this recipe.
• Vinegar – Rice wine vinegar should be used but you can substitute in with distilled white vinegar.
• Oyster Sauce – Use a good thick oyster sauce.
• Oil – You will need a neutral cooking oil like vegetable, peanut, or canola, as well as sesame oil for marinating the beef.

How to Make Mongolian Beef

Follow along with these easy-to-make instructions for a homemade Mongolian beef recipe:

Mix the sliced flank steak with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, eggs, corn starch, and salt and pepper until combined. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In a medium-size bowl whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, rice wine, water, rice wine vinegar, and corn starch until mixed and smooth. Set it aside.

Pour the oil into a wok over high heat until smoke begins to roll off the pan.

Add the beef to the wok and immediately push the beef up the sides of the pan to sear and cook for a total of 30 to 45 seconds.

Holding the handle of the wok in one hand while placing your cooking spoon in the center of the pan, rock the wok back and forth while moving the spoon in a small circular motion to stir-fry the beef. Do this for 20 to 30 seconds and then set the beef onto a side plate.

Return the wok to the cooktop over high heat and pour some more oil into it and stir fry some garlic, ginger, and onions for 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add in the chiles.

Add in the sauce and cook until it becomes thick like a syrup, which only takes about 30 to 45 seconds.

Put the cooked beef back into the work along with the green onions and gently mix until combined.

Serve the Mongolian beef with cooked rice and more green onions for garnish.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it’s finished cooking. You can keep it warm for up to 15 minutes before serving.

How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze and cover for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of Mongolian beef to a medium-size pan and add in 2 tablespoons of water. Stir and heat over medium heat until warm.

chef notes + tips

• You can use any dried chile in this recipe. In general, the smaller the dried chili, the spicier it is.
• Substitute the Shaoxing wine with dry sherry or regular cooking rice wine.
• Feel free to swap out the brown sugar with regular sugar or honey.

More Beef Recipes

• Ribeye Roast
• Steak Diane
• Beef Tenderloin
• Hungarian Goulash
• Salisbury Steak

Video

SaveSaved

Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe

Share

Print

5 from 11 votes

This delicious easy to make Mongolian beef recipe comes together in just over 30 minutes and is served up over a bed of rice.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the Mongolian Beef Marinade:

• 1 pound thinly sliced flank steak
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Vegetables and Sauce:

• 1 peeled yellow onion cut into 1” chunks
• 4 finely minced garlic cloves
• 1 ” chunk finely grated ginger
• 4 green onions sliced, thinly sliced on a bias
• 8-10 dried chiles, seeds removed
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or any rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 4 tablespoons of cooking oil

Instructions

• Marinade: Add the sliced flank steak with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, eggs, corn starch, and salt and pepper to a medium size bowl and thoroughly mix until combined. You can cover or keep it uncovered and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Sauce: In the meantime, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, rice wine, water, rice wine vinegar, and corn starch medium-size bowl until mixed and smooth. Set it aside.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to a wok over high heat until smoke begins to roll off the wok.
• Add the beef to the wok and immediately push the beef up the sides of the pan using a large stir-fry spoon to sear the beef. Cook it for a total of 30 to 45 seconds.
• Next, holding the handle of the wok in one hand while placing your cooking spoon in the center of the pan, rock the wok handle back and forth while moving the spoon in a small circular motion to stir-fry the beef. Do this for 20 to 30 seconds until the beef is cooked throughout.
• Set the beef onto a side plate.
• Return the wok to the cooktop over high heat and pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into it and stir fry some garlic, ginger, and onions for 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add in the dried chiles.
• Add in the sauce and cook until it becomes thick like a syrup, which only takes about 30 to 45 seconds.
• Put the cooked beef back into the work along with the green onions and gently mix until combined.
• Serve the Mongolian beef with cooked rice and more green onions for garnish.

Notes

Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten as soon as it’s finished cooking. You can keep it warm for up to 15 minutes before serving.

How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze and cover for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of Mongolian beef to a medium-size pan and add in 2 tablespoons of water. Stir and heat over medium heat until warm.

You can use any dried chile in this recipe. In general, the smaller the dried chili, the spicier it is.

Substitute the Shaoxing wine with dry sherry or regular cooking rice wine.

Feel free to swap out the brown sugar with regular sugar or honey.

Nutrition

Calories: 459kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 31gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 150mgSodium: 2107mgPotassium: 623mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 504IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 3mg

Author: Chef Billy Parisi