This easy Mongolian beef recipe takes 35 minutes from start to finish. Make this delicious restaurant-style meal for busy weeknights.
About Mongolian Beef
Mongolian beef is a Taiwanese dish made with thinly sliced flank steak, green onions, yellow onions, peppers, or mushrooms cooked in a savory, delicious sauce.
How to Velvet Beef
Ever wondered how Chinese restaurants make such tender beef stir-fries? Well, they velvet the beef before cooking. Velveting involves cutting against the grain into thin strips. It is then marinated with cornstarch, dry wine, and soy sauce. Some chefs use baking soda instead and let the meat sit for 10 minutes before cooking.
Other Steaks for Mongolian Beef
While this recipe calls for flank steak, you can use flat-iron or sirloin steak. For best results, use a sharp chef’s knife and slice the meat against the grain.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of flank steak (sub with sirloin steak)
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Dry sherry or Shaoxing wine
- Dark soy sauce
- Soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Brown sugar
- Chicken bouillon
- Sesame oil
- White pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Yellow onion
- Green onions (scallions)
- Fresh garlic
- 5-6 cremini mushrooms (optional)
- Fresh ginger
- Red chili flakes (optional)
How to make Mongolian beef
- Velvet the beef: Add the sliced beef flank steak in a large bowl and top with cornstarch, baking soda, dry sherry (or Shaoxing wine),dark soy sauce, and white pepper. Gently combine the ingredients by hand until all of the meat is coated. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Make the sauce: Next, combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust as needed. Set aside.
- Cook the beef: Heat oil over high heat in a non-stick carbon steel wok or deep skillet until it begins to shimmer. Add the beef and cook it until browned on both sides, for about 3 minutes. Remove the cooked beef and set it aside on a clean plate. Reduce heat to medium-high.
- Cook vegetables: Add 1 tablespoon of oil if needed, and heat through. Cook the sliced onions, white parts of green onions, and mushrooms for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Final touches: Add the beef back into the wok, along with the sauce. Increase heat to high and cook for 1-2 minutes more until thickened. Stir in green onion stalks, then remove the wok from the heat.
What to serve with Mongolian beef
You can serve this dish with cooked jasmine or white rice, with a side of steamed broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, or bok choy.
Sauce substitutions
For those on gluten-free diets, use gluten-free varieties of dark and regular soy sauce and oyster sauce. If you’re allergic to shellfish, consider using a vegan-friendly oyster sauce.
Side note: I used a carbon steel wok to cook this recipe, and it was perfect. Not only was it affordable but it has a sleek non-stick surface, (which I love), and clean-up was a breeze!
More Recipes to Enjoy!
- Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat Recipe)
- Hoisin Salmon Bites (Air Fryer)
- Spicy Korean Q Sauce (Wingstop Copycat)
Easy Mongolian Beef (Restaurant-Style)
Equipment
- 1 Wok
Ingredients
- 1 pound of flank steak sliced against the grain into 2″ strips
- 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil more as needed
- 1 large yellow onion peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
- 5 green onions cut into 3-inch pieces (separate white from green)
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 5-6 cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- For Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce (sub with sweet soy sauce for a sweeter sauce)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes optional
Instructions
- Place the sliced beef flank steak in a large bowl and top with 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon dry sherry (or Shaoxing wine), 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper.
- Gently combine the ingredients until all of the meat is well coated. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Next, combine the sauce ingredients plus 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl . Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.
- Heat oil over high heat in a wok or deep skillet.
- Once it's hot, add the marinated beef and cook it until browned on both sides, for about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the cooked beef from the wok and set it aside on a clean plate. Reduce heat to medium-high.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil, and heat through.
- Next, cook the sliced onion, white parts of green onions, and mushrooms for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, stirring often. Do not brown the garlic.
- Add the meat back into the wok, along with the sauce. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened.
- Finally, stir in green onion stalks and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and sprinkle Mongolian beef with toasted sesame seeds (optional).
- Serve with cooked jasmine or white rice, and a side of steamed vegetables.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
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