Mongolian Beef is the perfect weeknight meal because it is cooked in 20 minutes. Tender, juicy pieces of flash-fried beef are coated in a sticky, spicy Mongolian sauce which is seasoned with chili for that fiery kick, ginger garlic for aroma and brown sugar to balance it all.
Mongolian Beef is served in Chinese restaurants and is especially very popular at P.F Chang’s. It has no similarity to the Mongolian cuisine. The name has been derived from a Mongolian barbecue dish that originated in Taiwan.
Chinese dishes are so quick and easy. And this one is the quickest of them all because you won’t be chopping a lot of vegetables. You can definitely include a side of stir-fried veggies. Steamed broccoli is often served with Spicy Mongolian Beef.
And I have to say, this is the BEST Mongolian Beef out there. Seriously! It is neither too sweet nor too spicy. The flavours are bold but perfectly balanced.
Crispy, tender pieces of beef combined with a spicy, sweet and salty sauce that has thick, sticky consistency is an addicting combination. You guys have to give it a shot and drop in your feedback in the comments.
Also, if like me, you live for spice then you have to try my 10-minute Garlic Chili Oil Noodles!
Velveting the Beef
‘Velveting’ is a Chinese cooking technique used to keep the meat tender and juicy. After marination, the beef is fried in hot oil to lock in the moisture. These are ingredients you need for the beef marinade:
- Soy Sauce
- Salt
- Cornflour (Cornstarch in US)
How To Make Mongolian Sauce
Combine the following ingredients in a bowl and keep your sauce ready before you start cooking:
- All-purpose Soy Sauce
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Chicken Broth
- Sesame Oil
Tips To Make Spicy Mongolian Beef
- Use flank steak, sirloin or filet. Any cut of beef used for quick cooking will work here. Use undercut if you are in Pakistan.
- Cut thin ¼inch (0.5cm) pieces of the beef across the grain. If you find it harder to slice put the slab of beef in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Read more about how and why to cut meat against the grain.
- Flash fry in hot oil and cook in batches. Don’t overcrowd. If the beef starts to release a lot of juices it will get tough.
- The cornflour/cornstarch makes the beef tender from the inside and crispy from the outside.
What To Serve With Mongolian Beef
Serve it with steamed rice, Chinese Egg Fried Rice or even on a bed of plain fried noodles. And you can also include a side of steamed or stir-fried veggies.
How To Make Mongolian Beef Saucy
Add 1 to 2 cups of chicken broth for a saucier Mongolian Beef and thicken with cornflour slurry. Double the amount of cornflour slurry if your sauce is runny.
Can You Skip The Chili
Absolutely! If you don’t like spicy food feel free to reduce the amount of chili or entirely omit it. You will still love the flavours in this Mongolian Beef
Watch How To Make It
Other Chinese Dishes
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Spicy Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 500 g beef sliced into ¼inch (0.5cm) pieces
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon or to taste salt
- ¼ cup cornflour see notes
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 6-8 dried red chilies
- 1-2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 spring onions green part cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces
Mongolian Sauce
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 3-4 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Cornflour Slurry
- 1 tablespoon cornflour see notes
- 2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Add soy sauce and salt to the beef and leave for 10 minutes.
- Then coat with cornstarch and leave for an additional 15 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a wok or big pan. On high heat, add half of the beef and fry till the edges start to brown. Remove from the pan and keep aside. Repeat for the remaining beef.
- Leave around 2 tablespoon of oil in the same pan and add the ginger, garlic, dried red chilies and chili flakes. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Pour the sauce and bring to a simmer. Then gradually add the cornflour slurry while stirring continuously.
- When the sauce has thickened toss in the fried beef.
- Turn off heat and mix in the green onion.
- Sprinkle some extra red chili flakes, if desired and serve with rice.
Notes
-
Use flank steak, sirloin or filet and cut thin slices across the grain.
- If you don't eat/like beef you can use chicken. This dish will still taste amazing.
- Cornflour in Europe/UK is called cornstarch in USA.
-
If you don't have chicken broth on hand, dissolve half a chicken stock cube in ½ cup water.
- Omit or reduce the chili according to how you desire.
Nutrition
PIN IT FOR LATER
Kat says
I made this recipe, I didn’t have dried red chilies so improvised with sweet chili sauce and it turned out so good!!! I will definitely make this again!
Matt says
I tired this recipe for the first time tonight. I used seitan instead of beef, used a bit of hoisin since I didn't have dark soy sauce, and added 1/4 of a medium sized white onion. It turned out excellently. The spice to sweetness ratio was very good. I also got my pan a bit too hot and charred things a bit. I'll definitely make this again. Next time I'll double the onion and turn down the heat a bit and see how it turns out.
Bev says
We loved this dish! I did not have dark soy sause and I read that I could substitute hoisin sauce which is what I did. Really delicious and I used plenty of pepper flakes!
Qashang says
Thank you for taking the time out to share your thoughts Bev! So happy that you loved the dish.
Aniqa says
Not hard to make. Turned out very delicious. It’s a success if the kids ask to make it again 🙂
Some of my beef pieces turned out to be a bit chewy than others, not sure if I fried it too much or the cut was not across the grain.
Trying to decide which new recipe to try today.
Umair says
Me and my wife made it, it turned out to be super delicious! Will definitely, try your other recipes too.
Aysha says
Hi beautiful,
I made Mongolian beef a few days back and I can't tell u how my family enjoyed eating it. It was so flavorful and to point. I added less of spice due to kids. 5️⃣ ✳️ is less for this recipe I will give it 10/10.
Florence says
Cooked in a cast iron skillet. Used one lb of grass fed/finish rib eye steak, sliced. Did not have any dark soy sauce added another tablespoon of soy sauce making the Mongolian sauce. Substitute arrowroot flour for cornstarch. Added broccoli. Omitted red chili pods. added dash of soy sauce before serving. Thought the soy sauce and salt would make the dish too salty but it didn't. Substitute coconut sugar for brown sugar
Rida says
Perfectly balanced, very easy to cook, and so, so delicious - this recipe is absolutely foolproof! I never realised making Mongolian beef was so easy and quick. It was exactly like the delicious Mongolian beef we can find at 'desi chinese' places in Pakistan. Thank you so much ChilitoChoc for this amazing recipe, which fulfilled my craving for Mongolian beef right here in Vienna!
chilitochoclover says
turned out amazing!! added beans and zucchnini slices to cut the salt. tastes sooooooo delicious and super easy if well prepared how you described! thank you!
Chili to Choc says
Nice that you added beans and zucchini! Thanks for the feedback.
Kulsoom says
My family is very picky when it comes to Chinese food. A lot of the recipes I’ve come across for Mongolian Beef are either too sweet or too salty. But this recipe was so perfectly balanced that my family loved it! I doubled the recipe and had to make my own dark soy sauce since I didn’t have it on hand, but despite that it turned out delicious. It’s super easy to make and if you are hesitating on making it...DON’T! It’s definitely a recipe you have to try!
Chili to Choc says
Thank you so much for trying this recipe Kulsoom! Glad it worked out for you and your family enjoyed it. ?
Natasha says
Tried mangolian beef for dinner turned out finger licking good.☺
Chili to Choc says
So happy to know you liked it!
Evelyn smith says
Like every recipe you post, this too was simply awesome.
Chili to Choc says
Thank you for the feedback! ♥️