• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Chili to Choc logo
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
×
Home » Recipes » Beef & Lamb

Spicy Mongolian Beef

Modified: Dec 28, 2021 · Published: Aug 20, 2020 by Qashang · This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

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.

Spicy Mongolian Beef on a wooden tray topped with spring onion and dried red chilies around it

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. 

Looking for more Chinse beef stir fry? Then check out my Beijing Beef too!

Stir fry beef and spring onions in a wok

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, which is why I had to do a Mongolian Beef Noodles version.

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! 

Also, if like me, you live for spice then you have to try my 10-minute Garlic Chili Oil Noodles or my fiery Firecracker Chicken.

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)

Process shots of Mongolian sauce, fried beef and beef stir fry

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

A piece of fried beef glazed with Mongolian sauce

Tips To Make Spicy Mongolian Beef

  1. Use flank steak, sirloin or filet. Any cut of beef used for quick cooking will work here. Use undercut if you are in Pakistan.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. The cornflour/cornstarch makes the beef tender from the inside and crispy from the outside.
Plain rice garnished with red chili flakes and spring onion to serve alongside beef stiry fry
Plain boiled white rice topped with red chili flakes and spring onions

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.

You can also create a whole Chinese buffet with my Chicken Corn Soup, Salt & Pepper Wings, Garlic Chili Oil Noodles and Kung Pao Chicken.

Closeup of mongolian beef with sliced spring onions on top

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

  • Kung Pao Chicken
  • Chinese Chicken in Garlic Sauce
  • Chinese Chicken Chili Dry
  • Chicken Manchurian

Let’s stay connected! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for the latest updates. And subscribe to my YouTube channel for video recipes.

📖 Recipe

Spicy Mongolian Beef with spring onions for garnish and dried red chilies around it

Spicy Mongolian Beef

Tender, juicy pieces of flash-fried beef are coated in a sticky, spicy, sweet Mongolian sauce with a kick of chili. Cooked within 20 minutes this dish is a perfect weeknight meal.
4.94 from 29 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 40 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Author: Qashang

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
Prevent your screen from going dark

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.

Video

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

Calories: 449kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.1g | Protein: 41.3g | Fat: 22.9g | Saturated Fat: 5.9g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 1520mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7.8g | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 24mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and a review in the comments. You can also tag @chilitochoc on Instagram. I love hearing your feedback!

PIN IT FOR LATERpinterest graphic for Mongolian Beef

More Beef & Lamb Recipes

  • Kabab masala curry in a serving dish with lemon slices and garnishes.
    Kabab Masala (Seekh Kabab Curry)
  • A stack of keema naan on a white fabric and wooden board underneath.
    Keema Naan (Easy & Authentic)
  • A black dish of Mongolian beef noodles with chopsticks inside.
    Mongolian Beef Noodles
  • A dish of keema samosas with a small bowl of dipping sauce at the back.
    Keema Samosa

Reader Interactions

Comments

    4.94 from 29 votes (13 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Review Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Rosy says

    July 17, 2024 at 2:09 am

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Brenda Warner says

    July 19, 2023 at 8:40 pm

    5 stars
    I made this last month and I'm fixing to make it again, today. It's so simple and the taste is wonderful!! Thank you for a great recipe!!

    Reply
  3. Wendy Doornan says

    March 27, 2023 at 3:09 pm

    5 stars
    Very authentic tasting dish and easy to make.

    Reply
  4. M. Wolfe says

    December 02, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was great! I dusted my beef with baking soda, let sit 30-ish minutes then rinsed and it was super tender. I also added a bit of rice wine to the sauce…so good.

    Reply
  5. Kat says

    August 29, 2022 at 2:40 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  6. Matt says

    August 26, 2022 at 4:13 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  7. Bev says

    August 20, 2022 at 10:30 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Qashang says

      August 21, 2022 at 4:42 pm

      Thank you for taking the time out to share your thoughts Bev! So happy that you loved the dish.

      Reply
  8. Aniqa says

    June 09, 2021 at 7:30 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  9. Umair says

    February 13, 2021 at 5:49 am

    5 stars
    Me and my wife made it, it turned out to be super delicious! Will definitely, try your other recipes too.

    Reply
  10. Aysha says

    September 23, 2020 at 8:49 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
  11. Florence says

    September 11, 2020 at 6:59 pm

    5 stars
    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

    Reply
  12. Rida says

    August 28, 2020 at 6:15 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  13. chilitochoclover says

    August 25, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Chili to Choc says

      August 27, 2020 at 11:43 am

      Nice that you added beans and zucchini! Thanks for the feedback.

      Reply
  14. Kulsoom says

    August 23, 2020 at 5:48 am

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • Chili to Choc says

      August 23, 2020 at 3:47 pm

      Thank you so much for trying this recipe Kulsoom! Glad it worked out for you and your family enjoyed it. ?

      Reply
  15. Natasha says

    August 21, 2020 at 9:59 pm

    5 stars
    Tried mangolian beef for dinner turned out finger licking good.☺

    Reply
    • Chili to Choc says

      August 23, 2020 at 3:45 pm

      So happy to know you liked it!

      Reply
  16. Evelyn smith says

    August 20, 2020 at 10:21 pm

    5 stars
    Like every recipe you post, this too was simply awesome.

    Reply
    • Chili to Choc says

      August 21, 2020 at 12:53 am

      Thank you for the feedback! ♥️

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Display photo.

Hi, I am Qashang! I share fuss-free recipes from around the world that are rich in flavour and made with easily available ingredients.

More about me →

Latest Recipes

  • Stuffed spinach and mushroom omelette garnished with chives on a white plate.
    Cheesy Spinach and Mushroom Omelette
  • Chicken tenders with buffalo sauce and ranch dip on a newspaper.
    Buffalo Chicken Tenders
  • Kabab masala curry in a serving dish with lemon slices and garnishes.
    Kabab Masala (Seekh Kabab Curry)
  • Scooping out baked sausage pasta from a blue casserole dish with fresh basil garnish.
    Sausage Pasta Bake
  • Buttermilk French toast stacked on a white plate with berries on top and behind in small bowls.
    Buttermilk French Toast
  • Two blackened fish tacos on a wooden board with garnishes around it.
    Blackened Fish Tacos

Footer

↑ back to top

Newsletter

Privacy Policy

Contact

COPYRIGHT © 2025 BY CHILI TO CHOC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.