Mongolian Beef: Crispy Strips in Sticky Sauce Better Than Takeout

⏱ Prep: 15 min 🔥Cook: 10 min 👤Serves: 4 🌡Heat: Very high

Mongolian beef recipe is the Chinese-American dish that made PF Chang’s famous, and the one that is genuinely better made at home. Flank steak sliced thin against the grain, tossed in cornstarch and seared at high heat until the edges crisp and caramelize, then tossed in a sticky sauce of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and sesame oil. Twenty-five minutes. One pan.

Ingredients

For the beef

• 1½ lbs (680g) flank steak, sliced across the grain into ¼-inch (6mm) thin strips. Freeze the steak for 20–30 minutes before slicing, a partially frozen steak is significantly easier to slice thin. Against the grain is non-negotiable with the grain produces chewy, tough strips regardless of how quickly you cook them.
• ¼ cup (30g) cornstarch, tossed through the sliced beef until every piece is lightly coated. The cornstarch does three things: creates a crispy outer layer, tenderizes the beef slightly and thickens the sauce when the beef goes back into the pan.
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda, added with the cornstarch. Small amount but significant, it raises the pH of the beef surface and tenderizes it through the velveting technique used in Chinese cooking. Do not marinate with baking soda for more than 30 minutes, it turns the beef mushy.
• 2–3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for searing. A neutral oil with a high smoke point is essential olive oil burns before the beef can sear properly.

For the Mongolian sauce

• ⅓ cup (80ml) low-sodium soy sauce, low-sodium only. The sauce reduces and concentrates, regular soy makes this dish aggressively salty.
• ⅓ cup (65g) brown sugar, dark brown sugar preferred, deeper molasses flavor. This is the ingredient that creates the glossy sticky coating.
• ¼ cup (60ml) water
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, added to the sauce for fragrance. Toasted only.
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated, or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional for heat
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, optional but adds depth and a slightly sweet complexity that elevates the sauce significantly

To finish

• 6 scallions, white parts cut into 1-inch pieces for cooking, green parts thinly sliced for garnish. The scallions are not just garnish, they are a core ingredient that wilts in the hot sauce and adds sweetness.
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• Steamed jasmine rice

Step by step

1. Freeze and slice the beef. Wrap the flank steak in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 20–30 minutes until the surface is firm but not frozen solid. Unwrap and slice across the grain into ¼-inch strips. The partially frozen steak produces cleaner, thinner slices than room temperature beef.Against the grain means cutting perpendicular to the direction the muscle fibres run. Look at the steak, you can see the lines. Cut across them, not along them. This is the difference between tender and chewy Mongolian beef.
2. Coat the beef. In a large bowl, toss the sliced beef with cornstarch and baking soda until every piece is evenly coated. Leave for 15–20 minutes, no longer than 30 minutes. The coating will look dry and powdery, this is correct.
3. Make the sauce. Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, red pepper flakes and hoisin together until the sugar dissolves completely. Set aside next to the stove, things move fast once the beef goes in the pan.
4. Sear the beef, the critical step. Heat a wide skillet or wok over high heat for 2 full minutes until smoking hot. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the beef in a single layer, work in two batches. Do not stir for 60 seconds, let the cornstarch coating set and caramelize against the hot pan. Flip each piece. Cook 30–60 more seconds. Remove and set aside.Crowding is the enemy. A crowded pan drops the temperature and the beef steams rather than sears, producing grey, soft strips with no crispy edges. Two batches with space between every piece is the correct approach. The first batch takes about 90 seconds total.
5. Build the sauce in the same pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add the white parts of the scallions to the pan. Stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce. Let it bubble and reduce for 2–3 minutes until it thickens and becomes visibly glossy, it should coat the back of a spoon thickly. If it thickens too fast, add a splash of water.
6. Combine and serve. Return all the seared beef to the pan. Toss quickly until every strip is coated in the glossy sauce, 30–60 seconds. Add the scallion greens and toss once more. Serve immediately over steamed rice. Scatter sesame seeds on top.

Two things that make the difference

Cornstarch and baking soda together, not just cornstarch alone is the technique confirmed by The Kitchn: baking soda is a small amount in the marinade that loosens the flank steak’s muscle proteins, quickly tenderizing the meat, this mimics the Chinese velveting technique used on tougher, inexpensive cuts of beef. Marinate for no more than 30 minutes to prevent it from becoming mushy.

A smoking hot pan in two batches, not a medium-hot pan with everything at once. The sear is what separates restaurant Mongolian beef from home versions that taste good but look grey. Give the pan 2 full minutes of preheating. The beef should sizzle aggressively the moment it touches the surface.

Make it ahead

Claire’s note

The sauce keeps refrigerated for up to 1 week in a sealed jar, make a double batch and use it on chicken, tofu or shrimp later in the week. The beef can be sliced and coated in cornstarch up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated on a plate, bring to room temperature for 10 minutes before searing. Leftovers reheat well in a hot pan with a splash of water, microwave reheating makes the beef rubbery. Mongolian beef also makes an excellent noodle dish, toss leftovers through cooked lo mein or udon noodles with a drizzle of extra sesame oil.

Serve with

Mongolian beef over steamed jasmine rice is the complete meal. It also pairs with the Asian crunch salad, the fresh crunchy salad against the sticky beef is an excellent contrast. The same pantry goes into the sticky sesame chicken and the Korean beef bowl. For everything else the Asian recipes collection has it all.

Add Mongolian beef to your weekly meal planner, slice the beef Sunday, make the sauce Monday, dinner on the table in 10 minutes of cooking. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.

Mongolian Beef

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

Delicious homemade Mongolian beef, better than takeout, with crispy flank steak and a sticky sauce.

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Ingredients

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• 1½ lbs (680g) flank steak, sliced into ¼-inch strips
• ¼ cup (30g) cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2–3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup (80ml) low-sodium soy sauce
• ⅓ cup (65g) brown sugar
• ¼ cup (60ml) water
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (optional)
• 6 scallions, white parts cut into 1-inch pieces, green parts thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
• Steamed jasmine rice

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Instructions

1. Freeze the beef: Wrap flank steak in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 20–30 minutes. Unwrap and slice across the grain into ¼-inch strips.
2. Coat the beef: Toss sliced beef with cornstarch and baking soda in a bowl until evenly coated. Let sit for 15–30 minutes.
3. Make the sauce: Whisk soy sauce, brown sugar, water, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, red pepper flakes, and hoisin until sugar dissolves.
4. Sear the beef: Heat a wide skillet over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil and sear beef in one layer, working in batches. Do not stir for 60 seconds. Flip each piece and cook for 30–60 more seconds. Remove and set aside.
5. Build the sauce: Reduce heat to medium, add white parts of scallions, and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce and let bubble for 2–3 minutes until thickened.
6. Combine and serve: Return beef to the pan and toss until coated in sauce with scallion greens. Serve immediately over steamed rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Notes

For best results, slice the beef while partially frozen and sear in batches for a crispy finish. The sauce can be prepared ahead and stored.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Stir-frying
• Cuisine: Chinese-American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 350
• Sugar: 14g
• Sodium: 800mg
• Fat: 12g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 40g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 25g
• Cholesterol: 60mg