Mongolian Beef

Mongolian beef is a simple stir-fried dish of tender steak strips and bright green onions coated in a sweet-and-savory sauce. Rather than thinly slicing green onions for garnish, the alliums are cut into short sticks that provide oniony flavor and a crisp-tender bite. Our Mongolian beef recipe is probably one of the quickest beef recipes you can make for a weeknight dinner.

A key ingredient to Mongolian beef sauce is hoisin, the salty-sweet Chinese condiment made with fermented soybeans. It provides depth and dark color to the umami-packed sauce. As with soy sauce, keeping this Asian sauce in your pantry will come in handy for Chinese recipes and beyond.

What is Mongolian beef?

Mongolian beef actually has nothing to do with Mongolia. And while it’s a popular dish served at many American Chinese restaurants, it’s not from mainland China, either. It originated in Taiwan before coming to the States. The dish features strips of beef cooked in a slightly sweet sauce, often with green onions or dried chiles for a bit of heat. Like sweet-and-sour pork, lo mein and General Tso’s chicken, it’s a staple on Chinese takeout menus and is best served with a side of rice.

Ingredients for Mongolian Beef

• Cornstarch: Cornstarch and chicken broth combine to make a slurry that thickens the sauce and gives it a sheen. You can also use cornstarch in marinades to give the meat a velvety texture and help protect it from drying out.
• Chicken broth: When using store-bought chicken broth, we like a reduced-sodium one to control the saltiness. You can feel free to use homemade chicken broth if you have it.
• Soy sauce: Savory soy sauce provides umami. We like to use reduced-sodium soy sauce to keep the salt content in check.
• Hoisin sauce: Hoisin sauce provides both sweetness and savoriness for this dish’s final sauce. It can be used in marinades, as a dipping sauce, smeared on wraps for moo shu pork or Peking duck, or drizzled into pho. Refrigerate the jar after opening.
• Sesame oil: Look for toasted or roasted sesame oil, which has a rich, nutty flavor. Toasted sesame oil is used for flavoring, not cooking. Use it in marinades or sauces, or as a finishing drizzle.
• Beef: Top sirloin is a lean cut of beef with a strong beefy flavor. It may also be labeled as a top sirloin filet. For the strips, make sure to slice them against the grain.
• Oil: Use regular olive oil, not extra virgin olive oil. Regular olive oil is refined and thus is better-suited for stir-frying; it has a more neutral taste and higher smoke point than extra virgin olive oil. Other neutral-flavored oils with high smoke points that work well for stir-frying are canola and avocado oils.
• Green onions: The green onions are cut into 1-inch batons so that they work as both an aromatic and as a crisp-tender vegetable. Use green onions that are bright green with firm stems.
• Rice: Steamed white rice is the perfect vehicle for soaking up Mongolian beef’s savory sauce. Use short- or medium-grain rice like sushi rice, or a long-grain variety like jasmine rice.

Directions

Step 1: Make the sauce

TASTE OF HOME

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and broth until a smooth slurry forms.

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Stir in the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil, and set the bowl aside.

Step 2: Stir-fry the beef

TASTE OF HOME

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry the beef strips in 1-1/2 teaspoons of hot olive oil until they’re no longer pink. Remove them from the pan and keep them warm.

Editor’s Tip: Any type of stir-frying requires a very hot pan to get a good sear and cook quickly. So get your wok or skillet good and hot over high or medium-high heat. Add the oil and let that get hot, too. Otherwise, the meat will steam and turn gray rather than develop good brown color. Cook the beef in batches so that you don’t crowd the pan. If using a skillet, spread the meat into a single layer and let it cook undisturbed until you get a good sear. Transfer the meat to a plate or wide dish; the meat will steam if piled up.

Step 3: Stir-fry the onions

TASTE OF HOME

In the same skillet, stir-fry the onions in the remaining olive oil until they’re crisp-tender, three to four minutes.

Step 4: Finish the sauce

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Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil, and cook and stir it until it has thickened, about two minutes.

Editor’s Tip: If the sauce isn’t thickening as much as you’d like, make a slurry by dissolving 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 teaspoon water. Stir the slurry into the sauce and let it simmer and thicken before you return the beef to the pan.

Step 5: Add the beef and serve

TASTE OF HOME

Reduce the heat and add the beef. Cook until the beef is just heated through. Serve the stir-fried beef with rice.

Editor’s Tip: Some juices will collect on the plate as the stir-fried meat rests. Add that flavorful liquid back to the pan along with the beef.

TASTE OF HOME

Mongolian Beef Variations

• Make it spicy: Many versions of Mongolian beef include dried red chile peppers. Toss a handful of chiles de arbol into the pan when you add the green onions. If you like things really spicy, break the chiles in half so some of the seeds fall out. If you don’t have chiles de arbol, a generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes will work.
• Sweeten it up: Dissolve some brown sugar into the simmering sauce if you like the sweeter versions of Mongolian beef served at popular nationwide American Chinese restaurant chains. Adding more hoisin sauce may make the dish too salty.
• Add more onions: I love alliums, and I especially love when onions are cooked until they’re crisp-tender. Thinly slice red or yellow onions and add them to the pan along with the green onions.
• Add some veggies: While Mongolian beef doesn’t usually include vegetables, you can toss in thinly sliced bell peppers or thawed frozen broccoli florets when adding the green onions.
• Make Mongolian chicken: Swap the beef with sliced boneless skinless chicken thighs. Beef steak cooks faster than chicken, so stir-fry the chicken a bit longer and make sure it’s cooked through before removing it from the pan.

How to Store Mongolian Beef

Mongolian beef is most tender and tastes best when served immediately. You can eat leftovers cold, as one often does with leftover takeout, or reheat them. It will still be delicious, but the beef will be tougher.

How long does Mongolian beef last?

After cooling, store the Mongolian beef in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for up to four days.

Can you freeze Mongolian beef?

After cooling, store the Mongolian beef in an airtight container in the freezer. It will keep for up to three months.

How do you reheat Mongolian beef?

You can heat leftovers in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl until until they’re just heated through. If reheating the Mongolian beef recipe from frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Then, warm it in a microwave in a microwave-safe bowl until it’s heated through.

Mongolian Beef Tips

TASTE OF HOME

How do you cut the meat for Mongolian beef?

Steak is easier to cut when it’s partially frozen and thus firmer. Stick it in the freezer for about 30 minutes before slicing it. For tender beef in your stir-fry, the meat needs to be cut against the grain. The grain is the parallel lines on the cut of meat. Cut perpendicular to the grain, so across—not in the same direction as—those lines. You’ll end up with shortened muscle fibers, which means less chewing and thus more tender meat.

Can you use other cuts of beef for Mongolian beef?

Flank steak is a popular cut for Mongolian beef. Skirt steak also works well in stir-fries. Both cuts take well to marinades.

How do you keep Mongolian beef tender?

A Chinese restaurant trick for tenderizing the meat is to use baking soda. Incorporate it into a marinade by mixing 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wide, shallow bowl. Add the beef and use your fingers to mix it until it’s well coated. Set the beef aside for one hour before cooking it.

What’s the best way to cook rice?

Rice cookers make the best rice, hands down; you’ll find them in most Chinese kitchens. However, you can still make perfect rice on the stovetop if you don’t have a rice cooker.

What can you serve with Mongolian beef?

Since our Mongolian beef recipe is saucy and flavorful, we like to pair it simply with steamed white rice. Add a quick stir-fried leafy green like bok choy or other dishes with milder flavors for a larger meal.