Mongolian Beef
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From The Woks of Life cookbook, this crispy Mongolian beef is every bit as good as the version served at your favorite Chinese restaurant.
Mongolian beef is a popular Chinese-American restaurant dish that consists of tender, crispy beef in a savory-sweet brown sauce. This version comes from The Woks of Life, written by Bill, Judy, Kaitlin, and Sarah Leung, the family behind the popular Woks of Life blog. I’m a big fan of the cookbook and the blog, both of which are excellent resources for anyone interested in learning more about Chinese cooking. To prepare the dish, thinly sliced flank steak is first “velveted” or tenderized by marinating it in a mixture that includes baking soda, before being coated in cornstarch. The beef is then shallow-fried in a wok or skillet until crispy, and tossed in a flavorful brown sauce made with soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and scallions. Served over steamed rice, the dish is a huge family-pleaser and every bit as good as the Mongolian beef served at your favorite Chinese restaurant.
Note that many of the ingredients are repeated throughout the recipe, so the ingredient list is not quite as long as it looks!
What You’ll Need To Make Mongolian Beef
- Soy sauce is an essential Chinese ingredient, and this recipe calls for two kinds: regular and dark soy sauce. Dark soy sauce is saltier, sweeter, and a bit thicker than regular soy sauce. It used to flavor dishes and also darken the color of sauces, and you only need a small amount. Dark soy sauce is available at Asian markets or online. If you don’t have any, you can simply omit it. However, your dish will be lighter in color. Alternatively, you can make a substitute by combining 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon molasses, and 1/8 teaspoon sugar.
- Cornstarch is an essential thickening, dredging, and binding agent in Chinese cooking. As a thickener, you need to first dissolve it in water before adding it to simmering liquid so it combines. It makes more robust, glistening, visually appealing sauces. Cornstarch also works well in batters and crispy coatings, and helps seal in juices of meat before cooking, resulting in tender meat.
- Shaoxing wine is a type of Chinese rice wine that helps give Chinese food its distinctive flavor. It is not easy to find where I live, so I substitute dry sherry.
- Dried whole red chili peppers are a common ingredient in Chinese cooking. They are made by drying fresh red chili peppers until they become hard and brittle. You can usually find them in the produce section at the supermarket.
- Baking soda is used in Chinese cooking as a meat tenderizer. When mixed with water, baking soda creates an alkaline solution that can break down the tough fibers in meat, making it more tender. The process of using baking soda to tenderize meat is known as “velveting.”
Step-by-Step Instructions
Slice the flank steak against the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices.
In a medium bowl, combine the Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), soy sauce, cornstarch, water, and baking soda.
Add the beef and stir until evenly coated.
In a small bowl, dissolve the brown sugar in the hot water. Mix in the regular soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
Slice the scallions and mince the garlic and ginger.
In a medium bowl, dredge the marinated beef slices in the ½ cup cornstarch until thoroughly coated.
Heat the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat until just before the oil starts to smoke. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, spread the beef slices evenly in the wok or skillet and shallow-fry them undisturbed for 1 minute on each side to achieve a crusty coating. Transfer the beef to a plate and turn off the heat.
Drain most of the oil from the pan, reserving 1 tablespoon. Wipe the pan with a paper towel, then add the reserved tablespoon of oil. Over medium-high heat, add the ginger and whole dried chilies (if using).
After 15 seconds, add the garlic and the scallion whites. Stir-fry for another 15 seconds.
Add the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.
Combine the cornstarch with the water to make a slurry, then slowly stir it into the pan.
Add the beef and the green parts of the scallions.
Toss everything together for 30 seconds, until the scallions are wilted and there is almost no standing sauce. Serve.
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Mongolian Beef
From The Woks of Life cookbook, this crispy Mongolian beef is every bit as good as the version served at your favorite Chinese restaurant.
Ingredients
For Marinating the Beef
- 1 pound beef flank steak, sliced against the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices
- 2 teaspoons vegetable (or neutral) oil
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup hot water
- ¼ cup regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (see note)
For Coating and Searing the Beef
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ⅔ cup vegetable (or neutral) oil
For the Rest of the Dish
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 8 dried red chilies (optional)
- 3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 scallions, white and green parts separated and cut on an angle into 2-inch pieces
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Marinate the Beef
- In a medium bowl, combine the beef with the oil, Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), regular soy sauce, cornstarch, water, and baking soda. Marinate for 1 hour.
Make the Sauce
- In a small bowl, dissolve the brown sugar in the hot water. Mix in the regular soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
Coat and Sear the Beef
- In a medium bowl, dredge the marinated beef slices in the ½ cup cornstarch until thoroughly coated.
- Heat the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat until just before it starts to smoke. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, spread the beef slices evenly in the pan and shallow-fry them undisturbed for 1 minute on each side to achieve a crusty coating. Transfer the beef to a plate and turn off the heat.
Assemble the Dish
- Drain most of the oil from the pan, reserving 1 tablespoon. Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel, then add the reserved tablespoon of oil. Over medium-high heat, add the ginger and whole dried chilies (if using—if you’d like the dish spicier, break 1 or 2 chilies in half). After 15 seconds, add the garlic and the scallion whites. Stir-fry for another 15 seconds. Add the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the water to make a slurry, then slowly stir it into the pan.
- Add the beef and the green parts of the scallions. Toss everything together for 30 seconds, until the scallions are wilted and there is almost no standing sauce. Serve.
- Note: Dark soy sauce is saltier, sweeter, and a bit thicker than regular soy sauce. It is used to flavor dishes and also darken the color of sauces, and you only need one to two teaspoons. Dark soy sauce is available at Asian markets or online. If you don’t have any, you can simply omit it. However, your dish will be lighter in color. If you want your dish to look like the photograph, don’t leave it out. (Alternatively, you can make a substitute by combining 2 teaspoons soy sauce, ½ teaspoon molasses, and ⅛ teaspoon sugar.)
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 760
- Fat: 60 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Sodium: 1,149 mg
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’ve had great success with the recipes on your site, and I’m about to try this one. I have a question about the corn starch slurry that is added to the wok after the sauce. The text says to make the slurry with water, but the ingredients in the recipe call for oil. I’ve never made a corn starch slurry with oil–which is it?
Thanks!
Hi BW, It is definitely water; I think you’re looking at another section of the ingredients list that also calls for cornstarch.
How much heat do the chilies add to this recipe? I’m a bit nervous about using them and finding they make it too spicy.
Hi Holly, They are quite hot but they don’t add too much heat to the sauce unless you cut them in half.
Thank you, Jenn! I used them (did not cut in half) and they were not too hot at all. For anyone who is nervous about using them, I would say to go ahead, this was not a spicy recipe. They just add a tiny bit of heat. Overall, this is a fantastic recipe. One of the best Asian dishes I have ever made. I served it with white rice and steamed broccoli, and it was excellent.
My husband and I loved this — the meat was SO tender and flavorful!! Don’t let the long list of ingredients intimidate you — if you look at the ingredient list, most of them are used more than once (like in both the marinade and the sauce). This will definitely be in rotation in our house — thanks Jenn!
Outstanding! Came together quickly and the beef was very tender. Love the sauce. Husband had seconds so that’s a good sign for any recipe.
Delicious!!! My family loved it, very flavourful and not too difficult to make. This one is now in our rotation of favourite recipes.
WHAT. This was insanely delicious. It looks/tastes like I legit got Chinese takeout for dinner. I couldn’t find dark soy sauce so did the sub with the molasses. Thank you, new family favorite right here.
Another user asked about sherry, I don’t cook with booze either so I used a tsp of rice vinegar instead for the tang.
Another user asked about meat cuts, I used venison strap. I think you could use almost any tough cut. This recipe is SO FORGIVING. The velveting technique can turn the cheapest cut of meat into gourmet huh!
Thanks a bunch. Verrry tasty!
I made this for dinner last night. It was out of this world delicious. I skipped out on the dark soy sauce and it was totally fine. The good thing about this recipe too is that I had almost all ingredients in my kitchen except for the flank steak so this was a perfectly inexpensive dinner!
This was excellent, and the molasses substitution for dark soy sauce worked well. Will definitely make again. Thanks for this great recipe!
Absolutely delish. Will definitely be repeating. I am on a sodium restriction so I substituted liquid coconut aminos but I couldn’t tell at all. Paired it with gai lan from The Woks of Life and everyone at it all up. Thanks!!
Jen, I am going to make this in the next day or two and I’m positive like all of your recipes, this will be delicious! I was curious, if you don’t mind me asking, looking to get a wok and was wondering about the one you are using in the pictures. If you are pleased with it, do you mind sharing what wok you are using?
As always, thanks for sharing your fabulous recipes!
Hi Eva, so glad you like the recipes! This is the wok I have — I don’t use it a ton, but I like it. Hope you enjoy the beef!
This was delicious! I used a boneless rib eye steak I had in the freezer- not the best cut, but it still tasted amazing.
Thanks for another winner.
Made this recipe tonight and it was fabulous! Thank you, Jenn, for the many great recipes you share.
I’m still chewing my last bite and had to comment. This was awesome! I read the directions numerous times because I know flank steak could turn into shoe leather……when I was done this needed only a fork to cut into. Thank you for this, flank steak no longer intimidates me.
This was the worst recipe I have made in a long time. Followed the recipe exactly. Beef was slimy and chewy. Ginger/garlic tastes were neglishable. So sad, because it sounded yummy.
This was fantastic! I took a trip to our local Chinese grocery store to buy the dark soy sauce and the Shaoxing wine. Will definitely be making this again! This recipe inspired me to buy the Woks of Life cookbook too!
It is difficult to get flank steak here, what cut could I use instead? Cannot wait to try as I have just bought a wok!
Hi Angi, Can you get flat iron steak? That would be a good option. You could also use sirloin.
Hi Jen, thank so much for your very quick response. I will use sirloin.
I don’t cook with wine, what can substitute for it? Thanks
Hi Pamela, In this case, I would just omit it.
This was absolutely fantastic! Made a trip to my local Chinese grocery store today for the cooking wine and dark soy sauce. Ordered their cookbook too. Thank you for sharing!
Hello would this work with fillet tails – presume so?
Thanks
Yep it should 🙂
Think you could sub hoisin sauce for the dark soy sauce?
Hi Dani, I don’t think hoisin sauce will give you the same effect. I would make the molasses substitute instead. Sorry!
Can arrowroot be substituted for the cornstarch since I have a corn allergy?
Hi Megan, To be honest I’m not sure how arrowroot will work with Chinese cooking. I would ask the folks over at The Woks of Life – I’m sure they will have a better answer than I would.