Mongolian Beef

You are going to love this authentic Mongolian Beef recipe! Thin strips of tender beef are lightly coated in cornstarch and cooked in a sweet and tangy soy sauce, garnished with scallions. Ready to serve in less than 30 minutes, this is a delicious homemade alternative to your usual Chinese takeaway!

Despite its name, this dish is actually a Chinese-American classic. This Easy Mongolian Beef is very quick to prepare – takes only 30 minutes to make, including 20 minutes to marinate the flank steak.

Serve it with rice, cauliflower rice or noodles and alongside your favorite Chinese appetizers like spring rolls for a tasty feast! It’s great to serve with a side of steamed broccoli or carrots.

Why This Recipe Is So Good!

• It tastes just like P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef, but this homemade version uses fresh ingredients for a delightful twist.
• It’s so quick to cooke! The actual cook time is only about 5 -10 minutes!
• The leftovers taste really good, you just need to reheat them on the stovetop and it also makes for a great freezer meal!

If you have a favorite Chinese take-out meal that you wonder how to make healthy and enjoy at home, you have to get this cookbook – The Healthy Wok. Your favorite Chinese food dishes are probably most likely represented in there.

Let me introduce you to the author of the cookbook – my friend Charmaine from the wonderful Wok and Skillet blog, where she shares recipes that are a fusion of her Asian roots having been born and raised in Malaysia and her American experience after spending much of her life in the U.S. as well.  She focuses on easy, simple recipes with an Asian flair.

The Healthy Wok: Chinese Cookbook

I was very excited when I received Charmaine’s cookbook The Healthy Wok: Chinese Cookbook for review. The cookbook is absolutely beautiful with gorgeous pictures of and healthy recipes of some of my favorite Chinese meals – General Tso’s Chicken Stir-Fry, Beef and Broccoli, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Shrimp and of course Mongolian Beef. And many, many more well-known Chinese takeout recipes, except that these are made healthy and lighter.

Not only are the recipes very easy to prepare but the cookbook also includes measurement conversion (for those who live outside the US) and an introduction to the basics of Chinese cooking at home. This makes it very easy even for a newbie like me in Chinese cuisine to make a delicious dinner in just 30 minutes.

All of the 85 recipes are using ingredients that are easily found at your local grocery store. While they may seem intimidating because of their foreign names, the recipes are very easy to make and include easy to follow step-by-step instructions.

Chairmaine will show you how easy it is to make your Chinese takeout dishes at home. I got to taste test some of them while I was helping her out during the recipe testing stage. and I can tell you that they don’t compromise on flavor and are easier to make than I imagined.

How To Make Mongolian Beef

1. Sprinkle the cornstarch, salt, and pepper over the beef and toss to combine. Marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, prepare the sauce by mixing together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and rice vinegar.
3. In a wok over medium-high heat, heat the peanut oil. 
4. Add the beef and fry just until the surfaces turn brown.
5. Add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, 2 or 3 seconds. 
6. Add the sauce and stir to coat the beef. 
7. Turn off the heat and add the scallions. Give it one last stir to very lightly heat up the scallions but not to cook them.
8. Transfer the dish to a serving plate.

Recipe Variations

• Make it paleo: You can simply replace cornstarch with arrowroot starch, the soy sauce with coconut aminos and the brown sugar with coconut sugar.
• If you like your  Mongolian Beef spicy, add some red pepper flakes or some dried chilis.

What’s The Best Beef To Use?

I like to use thinly sliced flank steak for this recipe and sirloin will also work well. They are both flavorful cuts of meat that tenderize when marinated and cook very quickly.

Can You Freeze It?

Yes, you can freeze this dish. I would let it thaw in the fridge overnight before heating. Reheat it on the stove until just warm, you don’t want to overheat it because the beef will get tough.

It will also keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Take care not to overcook the beef. You just want to brown it, if you overcook it it can get tough.
• Use fresh ginger and garlic for the best flavors.
• To make your beef easier to slice, you can freeze it for 10 minutes.

More Easy Dinner Recipes:

• Spicy Chicken Fried Rice
• Easy Creamy Chicken Marsala
• Italian Chicken Prosciutto Pasta Skillet
• Chicken Francese

If you enjoyed this Mongolian Beef recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!