Mongolian Beef
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Tender, juicy strips of stir-fried beef in a luxuriously flavorful sauce! Few Chinese dishes are as irresistibly delicious as Mongolian Beef. This Mongolian Beef recipe takes the flavor over the top, is quick and easy to make (ready to serve in 15-20 minutes!), and rivals your favorite Chinese takeout! And if you’re looking for a vegetarian Mongolian Beef, I’ve got you covered too!
What is Mongolian Beef?
Mongolian Beef is one of the most popular Chinese takeout and restaurant dishes and is known and served throughout many areas of the world. It is a stir-fry dish consisting of thinly sliced beef that is coated in cornstarch and then fried until crispy. The beef is then tossed in a flavorful sauce along with green onions/scallions.
Neither the ingredients nor the method of cooking are actually Mongolian at all, rather some claim this dish is a Chinese-American invention while others claim it was first invented in a Chinese restaurant in the UK.
Regardless of its origin, one thing is clear: It’s fully deserving of its popularity because it’s absolutely delicious! And now you can make it at home anytime the craving comes calling and this Mongolian Beef recipe is sure to be a slam dunk winner in your home!
Mongolian Beef Ingredients and Substitutions
Made with just a small handful of ingredients, this Mongolian Beef is simple, quick, and ready to serve within 15-20 minutes including prep! You’ll need:
- Lean beef: Flank steak or sirloin work great.
- Cornstarch: for coating the beef and oil for frying it
- Fresh ginger and garlic
- Hoisin sauce: you can buy it or make your own Hoisin Sauce, which I HIGHLY recommend!
- Toasted sesame oil
- Tamari: you can substitute low sodium soy sauce but tamari has a much better, richer flavor.
- Brown sugar: for a low-sugar option you can use a brown sugar alternative sweetener.
- Pepper
- Green onions
An important element to making quick takeout style dishes like this is to have all your ingredients already laid out and ready to go. Have your veggies and meat sliced and have your sauce ingredients combined. Then the cooking part takes less than 10 minutes (less than 5 minutes if you’re using a high heat wok!).
How to Make Vegetarian Mongolian Beef
It’s simple! Use a meatless beef substitute such as Yves Meatless Beef Strips, Butler’s Soy Curls or tofu. If you’re using tofu we have a tutorial for making excellent crispy tofu that you can use as a beef substitute. Check out our recipe for Baked Tofu. Cut the tofu into 1/4 inch thick, 1 inch long strips to resemble beef and follow the instructions as outlined in that tutorial.
Mongolian Beef Recipe
Let’s get started!
Coat the beef strips with cornstarch.
Prepare the sauce by combining all ingredients, except for the garlic and ginger, in a bowl.
Heat the oil in a wok or heavy skillet and fry the beef until golden brown on both sides.
Remove the beef and discard all but about 2 teaspoons of the oil.
Fry the ginger and garlic in the skillet for 30 seconds.
Add the sauce mixture and simmer, constantly stirring, until it begins to thicken.
Return the beef to the wok along with the green onions and stir to coat.
Simmer for 1 minute so the green onions soften but remain crispy.
Serve immediately with steamed rice and/or crispy fried cellophane noodles.
Storage and Freezing
This will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. It can also be frozen: place it in an airtight freezer container or ziplock freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Then simply reheat in the microwave and serve with rice.
Enjoy!
Want to bulk up this dish with more veggies? Simply add some steamed broccoli and/or fry some bell peppers along with the chicken. You can also toss in some bean sprouts at the very end.
For more delicious Chinese dishes be sure to try my:
- Orange Beef
- Sesame Chicken
- Beef and Broccoli
- Egg Foo Young
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Beef Stir Fry
- Orange Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Wonton Soup
- Shanghai Noodles
- Mongolian Chicken
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Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak or beef tenderloin cut into thin strips (this recipe also works great with chicken) (See note for vegan option)
- cornstarch for coating
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- For the Sauce:
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger , minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic , minced
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (a critical ingredient)
- OR Best Homemade Hoisin Sauce , click link for recipe (highly recommended for the ULTIMATE flavor!)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup tamari (can substitute low sodium soy sauce but tamari has a much better/richer flavor)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 bunches green onions , cut into 2 inch pieces
Instructions
- Add some oil to a hot wok or heavy skillet. Lightly coat the beef strips in cornstarch and shake to remove excess. Stir-fry beef until caramelized on both sides. Remove the meat from the wok and set aside. Discard all but 2 teaspoons of the oil.
- To make sauce: Add the ginger and garlic to the wok and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add remaining sauce ingredients, except for the green onions. Let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken.
- Return beef to the sauce and stir to coat. Add the green onions and stir again to coat. Simmer for 1 minute seconds. Serve immediately with steamed rice and/or crispy fried cellophane noodles.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet October 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
My husband just loves this recipe!!!!!!!
Thank you so much, Tam!
I don’t have a wok. Will this recipe turn out if I use a skillet on the stove or an electric skillet.
Absolutely, Shelley, you don’t need a wok at all. Happy cooking! :)
I made this last night and it was delicious! Even my picky eater liked it. It is not unusual for me to make a couple of little tweaks when I make an Internet recipe but this one I followed exactly. The flavor was spot on for what I was looking for. I served it over Lo Mein noodles. This was as good or better than any Chinese takeaway that I have ever had. Thanks for posting it.
I’m so glad, JimmyB, thanks so much for the feedback!
A similar dish is Mongolian Lamb using 2 or 3 tablespoons of brown bean sauce and Thai red chilis, onions or shallots, and red and green sweet peppers with dark soy sauce to taste. Heat wok, add vegetable oil seasoned with some sesame oil, and add chopped ginger and garlic. Prepare the lamb beforehand about 1 or 1.5 inches long and 1/8 inches thick. Marinate the lamb with 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, s2 teaspoons sugar, salt and white pepper, and cornstarch. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours beforehand. After your wok is heated and the garlic and ginger are fried, and the other ingredients are added, stir-fry for several minutes until the lamb is cooked. Add some water with cornstarch and more brown bean sauce to thicken. It’s yummy!!
Kimberly..Susan and I made this yesterday. It was FLAT AWESOME!!!! I saw a post by one of you readers about Velvetizing (sp????) the meat marinating in baking soda and water slurry for 20 min. Man…you might want to add that to this menu. It works real well. The meat was so soft and tender. I want to try this out on Chicken next. I’ll try to find it in the old posts. Thanks for a GREAT Recipe. Gary
Thanks so much for the feedback, Gary, I appreciate and I’m so happy you both enjoyed it!
Thank you for posting this recipe. I didn’t know that Mongolian Beef could be made in a mild form as all I have ever seen on menu’s was blow your doors off hot. This was so good. I will keep it in my regular rotation. Again, thanks again for posting.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kathi, thank you!
A really rich tasty meal. I found the balance of sweetness just right, I used dark brown sugar and Dark soya as that was all I had and these didn’t overpower the meal. Next time I might try it using a light soya and light brown sugar to see if it makes at difference. Then again if it to my taste why change it.
Thanks so much, Paul!
Yowza!! Most fantabulous flavor, much better than take out.
However, the prep time took me longer than stated time, but it was out of this world delish!! 🥳
The homemade bean sauce and hoisin sauce are stellar, you’ve outdone yourself👍🙏
You’re a rock star, SuperD, I’m so glad you took the time to make the homemade bean sauce and hoisin sauce, it really is worth it! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Hi ,US measures say 1tablespoon of Hoisin sauce but metric say 3 tablespoons?
So tasty and flavorful! Love the recipe for making the homemade hoision too because I am out!
This is such a delicious dish! We all love Mongolian flavor!
The sauce is total perfection!
Delicious Mongolian Beef!