Description
Savory 30-minute Mongolian beef promises a quick, flavor-packed journey through Asian cuisine, delivering restaurant-quality comfort right to your kitchen. Tender strips of beef, glazed with a rich, sweet-and-spicy sauce, invite you to indulge in this irresistible home-cooked delicacy.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 pound (454 grams) flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) water
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Cooking and Garnish Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 green onions, sliced (for garnish)
- Sesame seeds (for garnish)
Instructions
- Dust the flank steak slices with cornstarch, creating a delicate, protective coating that will help achieve a crispy exterior. Allow the meat to rest and absorb the coating for a brief period.
- Fire up a large skillet or wok, introducing vegetable oil at medium-high temperature. Carefully arrange the beef pieces in a single layer, ensuring maximum surface contact for optimal browning. Sear each side until a golden, crisp edge develops, rotating as needed to prevent overcooking.
- Once the beef reaches a perfect caramelized state, transfer it to a separate plate, preserving its enticing texture and warmth.
- Reduce the skillet’s heat, then introduce minced garlic and ginger. Gently swirl these aromatic ingredients, releasing their intense fragrance and creating a flavor foundation.
- Pour in the liquid components: soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Elevate the temperature, bringing the mixture to a vigorous boil, then immediately lower to a gentle simmer. Allow the sauce to transform, thickening and concentrating its rich flavors.
- Reintroduce the seared beef into the glossy sauce, ensuring each piece is luxuriously coated. Let the meat warm through and absorb the complex flavors, creating a harmonious culinary experience.
- Finish the dish with a sprinkle of freshly chopped green onions and a scattering of nutty sesame seeds. Serve immediately atop a bed of steaming rice or tender noodles, allowing the sauce to cascade enticingly.
Notes
- Ensure beef is sliced against the grain for maximum tenderness, creating melt-in-your-mouth texture with each bite.
- Use cornstarch coating strategically to create a light, crispy exterior that locks in juicy beef flavors and helps sauce adhere perfectly.
- Allow beef to rest in cornstarch for exactly 5 minutes before cooking to develop a protective layer that prevents moisture loss and enhances browning.
- Avoid overcrowding the skillet when cooking beef, which can cause steaming instead of achieving those desirable golden-brown crispy edges.
- Swap flank steak with sirloin or ribeye for alternative cuts that work equally well in this quick and delicious Mongolian-style recipe.
- Create a gluten-free version by substituting traditional soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos for sensitive diets.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Mongolian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg