Easy Mongolian Beef Recipe – Better Than Takeout in 20 Minutes

Skip the takeout menu and create restaurant-quality Mongolian beef in your own kitchen tonight. This incredibly flavorful stir-fry combines tender strips of meat with a glossy, sweet-savory sauce that’s addictive. The combination of dark brown sugar, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and garlic creates that perfect balance of flavors that makes Chinese takeout irresistible. Best of all, you’ll have this satisfying dinner on the table faster than delivery could arrive at your door.

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Why This Recipe Works

The secret lies in the technique and timing. Coating the beef in cornstarch before cooking creates a light protective barrier that keeps the meat tender while allowing the sauce to cling beautifully. The high-heat cooking method sears the beef quickly, preventing overcooking, while the sauce reduces to a glossy perfection that coats every piece. This restaurant technique ensures maximum flavor with minimal cooking time.

Understanding Mongolian Beef Sauce

The magic of Mongolian beef lies in its distinctive sauce, which perfectly balances sweet, salty, and umami flavors. The combination of soy sauce provides the salty foundation, while dark brown sugar adds molasses-rich sweetness that caramelizes during cooking. Fresh ginger and garlic contribute aromatic depth, and rice wine vinegar adds a subtle tang that brightens the entire dish. This sauce reduces and thickens during cooking, creating that signature glossy coating that makes each bite irresistible.

Ingredients

For the Beef:

• Flank steak or filet mignon – Flank steak offers the best value and traditional texture when sliced against the grain
• Cornstarch – Creates a protective coating that keeps beef tender and helps the sauce adhere
• Wok oil or vegetable oil – High smoke point oil is essential for proper high-heat stir-frying

For the Sauce:

• Fresh ginger – Provides aromatic heat and authentic Asian flavor that ground ginger cannot match
• Garlic – Adds pungent depth that complements the ginger perfectly
• Soy sauce – Forms the salty, umami-rich base of the sauce
• Rice wine vinegar or Mirin – Adds subtle acidity that balances the sweetness and enhances other flavors
• Dark brown sugar – Essential for the characteristic sweet flavor and glossy sauce texture
• Red pepper flakes – Provides gentle heat that can be adjusted to taste

For the Vegetables:

• White button mushrooms – Add meaty texture and absorb the delicious sauce flavors
• Green onions – Provide fresh, mild onion flavor and beautiful color contrast

How to Make Mongolian Beef

This Mongolian Beef is very flavorful and easy to make. You can make this dish in a large frying pan. For best results, use a wok because woks are great for stir-frying. Here are the steps for making this recipe:

1. Slice beef very thin and gently pound meat into uniform pieces.
2. Dip the steak slices into cornstarch and shake off the excess.
3. Heat oil in a wok.
4. Place beef slices in a single layer in the wok.
5. Stir-fry beef until just done.
6. Remove the steak from the wok.
7. Add minced ginger and garlic to the wok and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
8. Combine soy sauce, water, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar in a bowl.
9. Add the sauce to the wok and cook until the sauce thickens.
10. Return the meat to the wok.
11. Add sliced mushrooms to the wok and cook for about 1 minute.
    
12. Add chopped green onion white portions, and add half of the green portions.
13. Cook for another minut,e then transfer to a serving bowl or platter.
14. Sprinkle the remaining green onion slices on top.
15. Serve with steamed white rice.

Recipe Tips

• To make it easy to cut the steak thinly. You can use shaved beef in this recipe. Shaved beef is easy to prepare by freezing the steak for about 1 hour before slicing. This will freeze it just enough that cutting it will be as easy as slicing a vegetable.
• When you slice your beef, cut across the grain (you can see the grain running through the meat in one direction). The grain is essentially the muscle fibers running through the meat. If you cut the beef parallel to the grain, you will get slices with long muscle fibers, which makes the meat rubbery and difficult to chew.
• If you don’t have any dark brown sugar on hand, you can substitute light brown sugar for dark brown. However, you will sacrifice some flavor—the molasses in the dark brown sugar adds to the depth of flavor in this dish.

Storage & Reheating Instructions

• Refrigerator Storage: Store in airtight containers for up to 3 days, keeping beef tender and flavors fresh
• Freezer Storage: Freeze in portion-sized containers for up to 3 months for convenient future meals
• Reheating Method: Warm gently in skillet over medium-low heat to maintain beef tenderness and prevent overcooking
• Microwave Caution: Avoid microwaving as it can make the beef tough and rubbery

Looking for more copycat Chinese food recipes? Try these!

• Beef Chow Fun
• Panda Express Fire Cracker Chicken
• General Tso’s Chicken
• Chinese Spare Ribs
• Chinese Buffet Seafood Bake
• Panda Express Chow Mein
• Chinese Chicken Salad
• Egg Foo Young
• Egg Drop Soup
• Chinese Hot Mustard
• Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Chinese Almond Cookies
• Chinese Donuts

Find even easier Chinese food recipes and the best copycat recipes here on CopyKat!